Sturgis XC 'Star' Takes Center Stage
September 8, 2015
By Wes Morgan
Special for Second Half
Daniel Steele became a star in the fifth grade when he played a star in his class’ Christmas production.
Ever since, he’s fed off that adrenaline rush each time the curtain has gone up.
He’s played Rooster in “Annie Jr.” and the White Rabbit in “Alice In Wonderland.” Steele greedily gobbled goodies as Augustus in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” He was cowman Slim in “Oklahoma” and eventually landed lead roles of Mr. McAfee in “Bye Bye Birdie” and Mr. Browning in “Leaving Iowa” before his most demanding performance as Seymour Krelborn in “Little Shop of Horrors.”
Steele said at an early age he was comfortable at the center of attention, which is where he first experienced the joy of putting in work for the payoff of a laugh – and where he learned the importance of precise delivery and timing.
“I feel like I’ve always been a lively person,” the Sturgis High School senior said. “Singing and music have always been a part of my life. It’s something I really love doing.”
One day Steele, who also knows his way around the guitar and clarinet when he’s not leading the Sturgis High School marching band as drum major, hopes to earn a living in entertainment. Most folks, however, know Steele for his rapid ascent in the world of Michigan high school distance running.
That is one of Steele’s talents that materialized his freshman year when he made a decision to be good rather than coast on natural ability.
Believe it or not, Steele said he’s far more nervous stepping up to the starting line at a big meet than delivering a monologue or singing a solo in front of a packed house.
Last season, Steele flirted with a sub-16-minute time for the first half of the season leading up to the Jackson Invitational. He was determined that would be the race where he’d finally break through. He ran a 15:59.5.
“That was one of the biggest things for me as a runner,” he said. “That had been such a big goal for such a long time. That was huge. Achieving something like that kind of opened my eyes like, ‘Hey, if I can do that, I can probably do more.’ It’s going to hurt, but I can do this.”
Steele, last year’s Wolverine Conference champion who is considering running cross country and track at Grand Valley State University, has set the highest of goals for his final season. He’s gone on record saying he will leave Sturgis as the school-record holder, and his aim is to go undefeated.
Keith Keyser, a big supporter of Sturgis athletics, holds the program’s fastest time of 15:36. Before Steele’s third-place finish at the Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals last year, the best performance by a Sturgis runner at an MHSAA championship race was Keyser’s fifth-place performance in 1981.
“He will be working on his racing technique this year to attack those goals,” Sturgis coach Emerson Green said. “Time improvements are nice, but since cross country times are not linear due to weather, course, competition, etc., he will need to be able to adjust his race strategy based on what the competition yields.”
That’s something Steele learned the hard way this past March, when he disregarded his targeted first-lap split in the 800-meter MHSAA Final and dropped from first to eighth place on the second lap.
Pushing his body to the red line too early cost him. Though the experience taught him to implement more method rather than relying solely on guts, old habits are hard to break.
“I can’t feel too bad about it because I really did give it everything I had,” Steele said. “I learned my body is only capable of so much. I want to push myself to the limit, but running is tricky.
“It’s not always consistent and you can’t always go out and give it everything you have and have it work out. The last 200 meters of the race, it was kind of like muscle failure. Everything was falling apart and nothing was working. But I still remember pushing through all of that.”
Green, a chemistry teacher at Sturgis, hopes he can convince Steele that winning races isn’t always about who has the biggest heart.
Steele credits the guidance he’s received from Green, a former college runner at Alma and a 21-year head coach for the Trojans, for helping him grasp the importance of thinking his way through a race and through life.
“I have a lot of respect for Coach Green for how he carries himself as an adult and how he’s helped all of us on the team,” Steele said. “He’s an all-around great guy and really knows what he’s doing. Personally, he’s helped me a ton with his wisdom. Having the experience that he does … and that he’s very personable, it’s easy for me to listen to him and put to good use everything he has to say.”
Every leading man can benefit from a competent supporting actor, and Steele is now being truly pushed in race situations by classmate Shawn Bell, who was 14th at Michigan International Speedway last fall with a time of 16:11.4.
The two finished 1-2 at the St. Joseph Invitational late last month in their only race of the year so far. Steele clocked a 16:25, and Bell crossed the line in 16:29.
“Last year I was kind of training by myself,” Steele said. “I was out in front of the pack in workouts, and in most races I was the frontrunner. Even at the state meet I was pretty much by myself because it was so spread out.
“This year I feel like Shawn has really played a part in the sense that he’s a lot faster now than he was his junior year. He’s made a lot of good steps mentally. He’s a very talented kid; we’ve seen that since middle school. Now he’s really putting in the work and now he’s right up there with me. We’ve been pushing each other like crazy.”
When the cross country season is over, Steele will begin winter workouts for track. Sometimes he uses those hours running around Sturgis to recite lines for the winter musical.
If anyone sees him darting down a sidewalk apparently in mid-conversation, he wants people to know he’s not talking to himself; he’s simply working through a scene.
See below for a video piece on Steele by JoeInsider.com.
Wes Morgan has reported for the Kalamazoo Gazette, ESPN and ESPNChicago.com, 247Sports and Blue & Gold Illustrated over the last 12 years and is the publisher of JoeInsider.com. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Sturgis' Daniel Steele surges past the crowd during his MHSAA Regional race last season. (Middle) Steele rounds the curve at Michigan International Speedway on the way to finishing third in the LP Division 2 Final. (Photos courtesy of the Steele family.)
Litzner Sets UP Finals Record, Jeffers Reigns Again & Engadine for 1st Time
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
October 19, 2024
MUNISING — It was a cross country race for the ages here Saturday as nine boys runners broke 16:30 at the Upper Peninsula Division 1 Finals.
Sault Ste. Marie junior Gabe Litzner set the U.P. Finals all-class/division record, covering the 3.1-mile course in 15:14.4. He was followed by Marquette seniors Seppi Camilli (15:34.7) and James Barch (15:57.8).
“I came into this race very nervous,” Litzner said. “I knew Seppi was going to give me a good race. I felt the way to beat him was to stick with him in the first mile. I didn’t want to wait until the last mile or 800 meters. He’s very fast. I knew he would kick it in during the last mile.
“Adrenalin got me through the whole race, especially today. I knew it was going to be hard. It’s exciting to be part of U.P. history. It feels really great. I love running with these guys.”
Marquette captured its sixth consecutive title with 20 points, followed by Sault with 56 and Houghton with 89.
“We had a great season as a team,” Litzner said. “Marquette is just a great team. They’re real tough to beat. They’re one of the best in the state. I’ll never forget this U.P. Finals. It was a great time.”
Camilli’s time was the second-best in U.P. history, and Barch finished with the third best.
“I wish it would have been a little more exciting (individually),” Camilli said. “It was close through the first mile. I ran a 4:45, and I think it caught up with me in the end. It’s a little disappointing in a way, but it was still a good race. I was six seconds off my PR (personal record) at two miles and fell off a little in the third.
“Winning as a team was exciting for sure. It’s high pressure and exciting.”
Division 2
Painesdale Jeffers collected its fourth-straight Division 2 championship with 33 points, followed by Rudyard’s 81 and Ironwood’s 84.
Munising senior Dan Goss earned the top individual honor at 16:43. He was followed by Jeffers’ junior Cameron Anderson (16:55.2) and Rudyard junior Steven Kirschner (17:23.4) on a sunny and mild day at the Pictured Rocks Golf Course.
“Winning on our home course is awesome,” Goss said. “I definitely had special motivation. There was a lot of pressure, but our coaches are very supportive. We couldn’t ask for better.
“This happened to be my mom’s birthday, which also motivated me. I didn’t want to let her down. We had plenty of community support, which we appreciate.”
Ironwood senior Zach Smith was fourth (17:26) and Jeffers junior Landon Larson took fifth (17:30.9).
“The race was pretty good, but my legs weren’t feeling up to snuff,” Larson said. “It felt awesome to win as a team. We were going for a four-peat. I just ran fast and hard. Training during the summer helps. We came into the season in good shape.
“We have no seniors this year. We have a lot to look forward to.”
Division 3
Engadine was crowned U.P. Division 3 champion for the first time with 62 points, followed by Stephenson with 82 and 2023 champ Dollar Bay at 106.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Engadine coach Tracy Germain said. “As we were coming through the line, I knew we had it. There’s always little bit of doubt until it happens. This is a real boost for our program. We put a lot of work into it. It’s not a given.”
Chassell senior Kalvin Kytta earned his second U.P. individual title at 16:10.2.
“That was close to a PR,” he said. “I’m pleased with how the race went. I knew it would be a battle with myself for time and set goals for my split times. I fell off a little in the last mile, but I’m still pleased. When the gun went off for the Division 1 race, I got more excited for my race.”
Engadine senior Dakota Taylor was runner-up (17:22.2), with Ewen-Trout Creek freshman Brody Majurin third (17:28).
“We’re very grateful,” Taylor said. “It’s rewarding, and we feel very accomplished. I’m thankful to Tracy for everything she does. It’s so hard to get that first one.
“Last year we had a small group. It’s good to reach personal goals, but it’s even better with a great group of guys. I think Kalvin had 4:57 in the first mile. He ran a great race.”
PHOTOS (Top) Marquette's Seppi Camilli (227) and Sault Ste. Marie's Gabe Litzner (361) run together during the Division 1 Final on Saturday. (Middle) Rudyard's Steven Kirschner (347) and Jeffers' Cameron Anderson (288) are in the second and third position, respectively, after about one-third of the Division 2 race. (Below) Chassell's Kalvin Kytta crosses the finish line first in the Division 3 race at Pictured Rocks Golf Course in Munising. (Click for more from Cara Kamps/RunMichigan.com.)