Marquette Boys Continue D1 Dominance
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
March 1, 2016
MARQUETTE — It was a great day to be a member of the Marquette ski program Monday, as both team won MHSAA Division 1 championships at Marquette Mountain.
The Marquette boys turned in a dominating performance with 22 points, followed by Traverse City Central with 90 and Bloomfield Hills with 135.
Marquette, which earned its fourth straight championship, grabbed the top four places in slalom and top three spots in giant slalom on a sunny, but chilly and windy day.
“Everybody had to finish together,” Marquette coach Marty Paulsen said. “For the girls, this was probably their strongest performance as a team all year. The boys have been solid all year. Our junior (developmental) programs have coaches who start grooming these kids in elementary school. We also have supportive parents who drive their kids all over for ski tournaments, buy the equipment and pay for coaches, which is a big commitment for them.”
Junior Brad Seaborg captured the boys individual title in slalom in one minute, 11.3 seconds, followed by senior Joe Weber (1:12.49) and teammates Drew Thomas (1:14.16) and Adam Skendzel (1:14.37).
“We’ve been training for this all year and had good preparation for today,” Seaborg said. “We spent the past week training on this hill and have been very focused in practice all year. This was a great meet. The conditions were brutal this morning. The wind was very strong. I made sure I stayed low. In giant slalom, I think I did some of my best skiing all year.
“We had a good day as a team, and Joe had a great day. Joe and I have gone back and forth all year.”
Weber won the giant slalom in 57.54 seconds, followed by Seaborg (58.4) and Thomas (58.8) and Central’s Lars Hornburg (59.51).
“As a team we came out here to execute,” said Weber, who will attend University of Michigan this fall. “We performed the way we knew we could. There was a lot of wind out here today, but you really have to go for it. You can’t hold back. We have a lot of competition in practice, which helps a lot. We’re going at it every day, trying to win. It has been my goal for the last four years to help keep the title in Marquette.”
The Marquette boys have captured 11 MHSAA titles overall. Traverse City Central finished second for the third straight season.
PHOTOS: (Top) Marquette’s Brad Seaborg speeds downhill on the way to winning the slalom championship Monday. (Middle) Teammate Joe Weber cuts past a gate on the way to winning the giant slalom. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Performance of the Week: Traverse City West's Caleb Lewandowski
February 22, 2024
Caleb Lewandowski ♦ Traverse City West
Senior ♦ Skiing
Lewandowski, a three-time past Finals individual event winner, will head to his final championship meet Monday after claiming last week's slalom (1:20.90) and giant slalom (55.85) Regional titles at the Division 1 meet at Marquette Mountain. Lewandowski is the reigning two-time Finals champion in the slalom and also won the giant slalom at the Finals in 2023. Another slalom win Monday would make him the first in MHSAA boys skiing history to claim that championship three times.
Traverse City West as a team won the Regional title as well and will attempt to claim a fourth-straight Division 1 Finals team championship at Boyne Highlands. Lewandowski is actually the second individual Finals champion from his family – older brother Aiden was the Division 1 giant slalom winner in 2021 – and Caleb also might not be the last as he has three freshman brothers and a freshman sister skiing for the Titans this winter. Caleb Lewandowski also plays lacrosse for the Traverse City United cooperative program that includes athletes from West and Central.
@mhsaasports ⛷️POW: Caleb Lewandowski #skiing #slalom #giantslalom #traversecitywest #letsgo #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA
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Past 2023-24 Honorees
Feb. 15: Jadin Mix, Onaway basketball - Report
Feb. 8: Onalee Wallis, Cadillac skiing - Report
Feb. 1: Abbey DeGraw, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek competitive cheer - Report
Jan. 25: Ewan Todd, Riverview swimming - Report
Jan. 18: Ashley Weller, Jackson Northwest basketball - Report
Jan. 11: Michael Baldwin, Saginaw Arthur Hill wrestling - Report
Dec. 15: Jena Fijolek, Fenton bowling - Report
Dec. 8: Sophia Wagner, Escanaba gymnastics - Report
Dec. 1: Isaiah Marshall, Southfield Arts & Technology football - Report
Nov. 24: Sarah Bradley, Clarkston Everest Collegiate volleyball - Report
Nov. 17: Kalieb Osborne, Waterford Mott football - Report
Nov. 10: Tekalegn Vlasma, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian soccer - Report
Nov. 3: Colton Kinnie, Birmingham Seaholm football - Report
Oct. 27: Lauren Timpf, Macomb Lutheran North golf - Report
Oct. 20: Alena Li, Okemos golf - Report
Oct. 13: Seth Norder, Grand Haven cross country - Report
Oct. 5: Paige Anderson, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer golf - Report
Sept. 29: MacKenzie Bisballe, Lake City volleyball - Report
Sept. 22: Jhace Massey, Gladwin football - Report
Sept. 15: Kaylee Draper, Sturgis swimming - Report
Sept. 8: Owen Jackson, Traverse City St. Francis tennis - Report
Sept. 1: Rachel Forsyth, Ann Arbor Pioneer cross country - Report
(Photos courtesy of the Traverse City West athletic department.)