1st-Time Individual Champs, Perennial Team Powers Rule UP Girls Finals
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
October 23, 2021
MARQUETTE — Houghton and Hancock often see each other during the course of a cross country season.
It was a happy ending for the girls teams from both schools as they were crowned champions during the Upper Peninsula Finals here Saturday.
Houghton retained its Division 1 title with 52 points, followed by Marquette with 69, Negaunee 83 and Sault Ste. Marie 99.
Hancock won Division 2 for the third time in four years with 43 points, followed by Ishpeming with 54 and Ironwood 72.
“This was our best performance all year,” said Hancock coach Jennifer Smith. “The girls peaked today, which is exactly what they needed to do. We were runners-up by one point to St. Ignace last year and really wanted to take (the title) back. We needed everybody at the top of her game.
“I hope the girls continue to run. I also hope the middle school runners keep running, too.”
In Division 1, Houghton senior Ingrid Seagren earned her first individual title, covering the 3.1-mile course at Gentz’s Homestead Golf Course in Chocolay Township in 20 minutes, 51.7 seconds. She was followed by Sault Ste. Marie junior Cassandra Gallagher (21:05.8) and Houghton junior Claire Filpus (21:11.2).
“This has been my goal for a long time,” said Seagren. “There was a lot of pressure on us to win again, and we pushed each other real hard all year. I’m super proud of Paige (Sleeman) and Claire. You always want to peak for this race, but it’s really hard.”
Houghton senior and 2020 individual champion Paige Sleeman finished eighth this time (21:23.3), marking the fifth straight Finals she placed in the top 10 and was part of a U.P. championship team.
“It’s exciting and unbelievable,” said Sleeman, who was part of three championship teams at Chassell and now two at Houghton. “I never thought I’d be part of this many U.P. championship teams. I just developed a run for this sport, and the girls I ran with are amazing. Ingrid ran great. I knew it was going to be close race among the top four teams. For me, I just wanted to get the team win.”
Houghton coach Traci Welch had similar thoughts.
“They really wanted to give it their all,” she said. “Paige battled some illness, and she just went out and did what she needed to do. Claire missed last year (due to COVID), but now she’s healthy and very motivated. Our fourth and fifth runners (freshman Kiira Niska and junior Jewel Laux) were so important to the team. Jewel had COVID and came back and did great. All the teams ran hard. It boiled down to who had the best race today.”
Ishpeming sophomore Lola Korpi gained her first U.P. title in a season-best 20:04.9 to win Division 2. She was followed by Ironwood freshman Aubrey Smith (21:41.1) and Gogebic (Bessemer) junior Natalie Stone (21:56.8).
“I just gave it my all because it was the last race this year,” said Korpi. “I’m a little surprised by the margin of victory. The Ironwood girl is a good runner. We got two more runners at the last minute and we’re just so happy about that. I’m so proud of them for coming out of their comfort zone.”
Munising, which placed four in the top 10, repeated as Division 3 champion with 31 points, followed by Dollar Bay with 71 and Eben Junction Superior Central with 99.
“It’s exciting to win it again,” said senior Jenna Matson, who placed sixth (22:43.2). “That wasn’t one of my better times, although we won as a team which is all that matters. We’re a pretty tight group. I was shooting for under 22, but I’m okay with that.
“Our No. 5 runner (freshman Kate Mattson) didn’t place, yet we wouldn’t have won if it wasn’t for her. I felt there was a little more pressure on us this time, but our coach (Mark Kinnunen) kept us together and got what we needed.”
Newberry sophomore Kaylen Clark won her first Finals championship at 20:50.4. She was followed by Rock Mid Peninsula senior Landry Koski (21:37.9) and Munising junior Monique Brisson (21:51).
“The course was more challenging than I expected,” said Clark. “We had one hill before you turn into the last stretch that was real challenging. I had to go out strong because I knew the Mid Pen girl was a good runner, and she had a great race. This was a good showing for our team.”
Koski, who won on this course as a sophomore two years ago, was happy with her runner-up finish.
“I knew coming in the Newberry girl was fast,” she said. “She took off real fast. I knew after the first mile I wasn’t going to be able to catch her. I didn’t know what to expect from her because I hadn’t run against her all season.”
Brisson said her strategy was to keep up with Koski.
“Landry is a very strong runner,” she added. “Kaylen ran a real good race. I was surprised by her time.
“We’re all friends. It’s friendly competition. I’m real happy for Landry with this being her senior year. I’m so proud of our team. Jenna pushed me real hard all year.”
Click for full results: Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3.
PHOTOS (Top) Houghton's Claire Filpus (91), Ingrid Seagren (95), and Paige Sleeman (97) pull into the lead near the start of the Division 1 race. (Middle) Ishpeming’s Lola Korpi sets the pace for the lead pack during the Division 2 Final. (Below) Newberry’s Kaylen Clark builds her lead on the way to winning the Division 3 championship. (Photos by Cara Kamps. Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)
Sophomore Pair Clinch 1st Finals Titles, Korpi Wins 3rd to Cap Ishpeming Career
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
October 21, 2023
FLAT ROCK — Pickford’s Talya Schreiber is a first-year high school cross country runner.
The Pickford sophomore placed an exclamation point at the end of her season, setting the Upper Peninsula Division 3 Finals record by covering the 3.1-mile course in 18 minutes, 49.2 seconds here Saturday.
“That’s nine seconds off my PR (personal record),” she said. “I wanted to go out hard because it gave me a cushion to work with.
“This has definitely been a real good learning experience. I dealt with some illness last summer (2022). I needed a lot of rest and had to get back into running very slowly. It’s disappointing I didn’t get to do anything in my freshman year, but I’m definitely happy to be back.”
Chassell was crowned champion for the first time in four years by edging Newberry 52-54. Third-place Stephenson scored 58 points.
“The girls are really excited,” Chassell coach Marco Guidotti said. “I’m so happy for them. Stephenson beat us at Munising (Sept. 26) and kept an eye on the times Newberry was running. We knew it’d be tough. I’m so proud of the girls for believing in themselves. When you see a team running times like that, every place counts.
“The girls really started to find their groove late in the season. Winning the Copper Mountain Conference really motivated us, and Ironwood put on a great meet over there. We have a real strong community that supports the school and runners.”
Newberry grabbed the next three places, led by sophomore and runner-up Samantha Taylor (19:28.6), freshman Abby Taylor (19:48.6) and senior Kaylen Clark in a season-best 20:19.1, Dollar Bay senior Taryn Maki (21:06.3) and Chassell junior Lily Etelamaki (22:04.9).
“We put in lot of hard work during the week,” Etelamaki said. “We were definitely on a mission. Our area teams did real well. There’s a lot of trophies going back home. We were kind of in shock when we found out we won. We thought we’d be runner-up. We tried to run in a pack, and I think our depth helped us.”
Division 2
Ishpeming senior Lola Korpi ran the fourth-best time in U.P. Division 2 Finals history at a personal-best 19:04.8, clinching her third individual championship in her final race for the Hematites.
“I ran about 20:18 here last year and was trying to beat that,” she said. “That was amazing. It feels like I’m on top of the world right now.
“I’m also proud of my sister. Laynie ran real well. I was thinking to myself ‘leave it all here.’ I’m not as sad as others because I know I’ll be running in college. Plus, I still have track to look forward to next spring.”
Hancock gained its third straight team title with 38 points, followed by Munising with 71 and Ironwood with 93.
The Bulldogs were led by juniors Ella Keranen in a personal-best 20:56.9 and Rayna Towles (21:06.3), who placed second and third, respectively.
“I never broke 21 minutes before,” Keranen said. “It’s hard to run against the clock at the Finals. It can be a little nerve-wracking, but I was excited when I saw my time. Rayna and I ran together. It’s good to have someone to run with. We definitely ran as hard as we could. We wanted to win it for the third time for our senior Jolene Larson.”
Division 1
Marquette, as expected, retained its D1 title by tying the UPD1 Finals scoring record with 23 points, followed by Houghton with 53 and Sault Ste. Marie with 92.
Led by sophomore individual champion Ella Fure, the team placed five in the top 11.
Fure was clocked at 19:24.6, followed by junior teammate Monet Argeropoulos in 19:30.2.
“I’m definitely happy. I was faster than in the GNC (Great Northern Conference) meet,” Fure said. “I was a little nervous about my time. I was running with Monet, and she told me to take off with a quarter-mile to go. I was about 17 seconds off my PR. The weather was nice. It was about the perfect temperature (near 50).
Argeropoulos was followed by Houghton junior Roman Peterlin (19:55.3) and sophomore Tessa Rautiola (19:55.5), and Marquette senior Abby Harma (19:58.5).
“Ella and I helped each other out,” Argeropoulos said. “I’m happy about my time and our team winning. Houghton did really well. We were really close last year. It’s really fun to see our whole team do well. It’s kind of a reward for the hard work we did.”
PHOTOS (Top) Pickford's Talya Schreiber runs during the Division 3 U.P. Final at Farmhouse B & B in Gladstone on Saturday. She won the race. (Middle) Ishpeming's Lola Korpi runs to her third straight U.P. Division 2 championship. (Below) Marquette’s Ella Fure runs with Houghton's Tessa Rautiola in Division 1. (Photos by Jason Juno. Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)