Patterson Makes Move From 6th to 1st
November 3, 2012
By Bill Khan
Special to Second Half
BROOKLYN — Gina Patterson of Macomb Lutheran North was one of the favorites to win the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 cross country championship, based on her performance last season.
She may have been the only person who didn’t view herself as one of the runners to beat.
Perhaps it was the power of tempered expectations that relieved her of any pressure. Whatever it was, Patterson dominated a field that featured some of last year’s top finishers to win going away with a time of 17:43.4 Saturday at Michigan International Speedway.
Patterson was sixth at the MHSAA Final last season, finishing behind three runners who were in Saturday’s race.
St. Louis senior Raquel Serna was the runner-up for the second straight year, finishing in 17:59.8. Shepherd junior Kaylie Rhynard, who was fifth last year, took seventh in 18:25.9. Ida sophomore Ashley Sorge, fourth last year, was eighth in 18:33.6.
“I just came out here and looked forward to having a good experience,” Patterson said. “It was a great surprise.”
In shattering her personal best, Patterson reached the mile in just under 5:30. She took the lead for good after the two-mile mark.
“It felt great,” she said. “I didn’t know how fast we were going. When we crossed the line, I wasn’t expecting it to be that quick of a first mile. I just pushed it to finish it and seal it.”
As the race unfolded, she wasn’t sure if the fast early pace would catch up with her.
“I kept looking back and thinking if I was going too fast and what was going to happen,” said Patterson, who was relieved to see the gap between her and Serna growing as she entered the stadium for the final half mile.
The team race was considerably closer, with Jackson Lumen Christi edging Grandville Calvin Christian by a 167-171 margin. Caro was third with 201 points.
It was the Titans’ ninth MHSAA team championship and first since 2007.
Sophomore Caitlin Clark was 18th among team runners in 19:09.1, followed closely by sophomore Aubrey Penn in 19th place in 19:10.8 to lead Lumen Christi. Rounding out the scoring were freshman Jensen McEldowney (35th, 19:46.4), senior Leanne Leuthard (40th, 19:54.7) and senior Anna Berkemeier (55th, 20:16.5).
PHOTO: St. Louis' Raquel Serna (1711) and Macomb Lutheran North's Gina Patterson keep pace at the front of the Division 3 Final. Patterson broke away for the win. (Click to see more from RunMichigan.com.)
Houghton Girls Overcome Obstacles to Reign Again
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
November 4, 2021
HOUGHTON — Nearly two weeks have passed since the Houghton girls captured their second-straight Upper Peninsula Division 1 cross country title.
The memories, however, could last a lifetime.
Houghton scored 52 points in the U.P. Final on Oct. 23 at Gentz’s Homestead Golf Course in Chocolay Township (near Marquette), followed by Marquette’s 69, Negaunee’s 83 and Sault Ste. Marie’s 94.
“Overall, it was a pretty good season,” said senior Ingrid Seagren, who was crowned U.P. individual champion for the first time. “I’m grateful I had the opportunity to run. We really wanted to win, and it was exciting to do that.
“This has been a great experience. My teammates and coaches were so amazing.”
Junior Claire Filpus, who missed last year’s U.P. Finals due to COVID-19, placed third in her first championship meet try. “This season was exciting,” she said. “Winning as a team makes you so happy. This was a learning experience. I was a little nervous at first, but I just wanted to see what I could do. I couldn’t run in last year’s Finals, and I know my mom (coach Traci Welch) was upset she couldn’t be there.”
Senior Paige Sleeman went to the Finals as the reigning individual champion. Although she missed time this fall due to illness, she still took eighth.
“I was out three weeks with COVID, but tried to work out on my own,” she said. “I just wanted to try to help our team win its second U.P. title in a row. I knew we could do it.
“I think beating Negaunee the last couple times was a confidence boost. We’re fortunate to have a lot of kids come out. Some schools couldn’t field a full team. We knew it was going to be tough to defend our title, but we all knew we could win it. Coach Erik (Johnson) told us to run our hardest for 25 minutes.”
This marked the fifth consecutive year Sleeman was part of a U.P. championship team, including three seasons at Chassell and two at Houghton.
Although Welch was unable to attend last year’s Finals, she said COVID had an even greater effect on this year’s team.
“That’s why we lost the (Western Peninsula Athletic) Conference,” she added. “We were a couple runners short. Some of the girls didn’t have the same kind of season as last year, but they all ran their hardest. They handled their nerves well.”
Junior Jewel Laux, who overcame her bout with COVID, ran a personal-best time (22 minutes, 46.1 seconds) at the Finals.
“I hadn’t done a lot of conditioning during the summer, but I like the encouragement I got,” she said. “I didn’t start running until school started. The improvement I made was a highlight. That kind of helped me get better.”
Senior Jaden Serafin said she also enjoyed this season.
“I did okay,” she added. “I enjoyed the camaraderie. Everybody on jayvees and varsity is close knit. It’s fun being on the team. I know a lot of people on the team from the past few years.”
“It was really fun,” freshman Katie Sarau added. “I got a lot of encouragement, and that really helps me a lot. It was really exciting being on varsity, although there were more schools than I’m used to seeing at the Finals.”
The Finals were naturally a learning experience for freshman Kiira Niska as they were for Sarau.
“I was nervous, but it was fun,” she said.
Welch was happy with the way the girls overcame adversity.
“We lost Myah Campioni to a fractured ankle,” she said. “Kiira also had some injury issues, but kind of took Myah’s place and really stepped up. I don’t think Erik and I knew what our Finals lineup would be until after the conference meet.”
John Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
PHOTOS (Top) Houghton's Paige Sleeman (97) and Ingrid Seagren (95) lead the UPD1 Girls Final at Gentz's Golf Course on Oct. 23 in Marquette. (Middle) Houghton's Claire Filpus takes third place in the Division 1 race. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)