Preview: Racing to Reign Again
October 19, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
All three reigning team champions are loaded again. All three reigning individual champions are back in the field (even if two are this time running the same race).
Saturday’s Upper Peninsula Girls Cross Country Finals at Pictured Rocks Golf Course in Munising easily could see repeat champions one way or the other in every division – but with a number of other high placers also back from 2017, that’s easier anticipated than done.
Races begin Saturday with the Division 1 boys at 11 a.m. and finish with the Division 3 girls at 1:30 p.m. Check back Saturday evening for coverage, and see below for more teams and individuals to watch.
Division 1
Reigning champion: Marquette
2017 runner-up: Sault Ste. Marie
Top-ranked: 1. Marquette, 2. Sault Ste. Marie, 3. Houghton.
Marquette’s title last season was its fourth in five years, and the Redettes and Sault Ste. Marie have finished first and second in some order the last four seasons (with the Blue Devils crowned champions in 2016). Marquette won last year’s title with four underclassmen and a junior, and four returnees are leading the charge this time. Junior Ericka Asmus moved up from 10th as a freshman to second last season, and juniors Reegan Ketzenberger (sixth) and Delaney Sall (eighth) and senior Samantha Borzick (14th) also are back this weekend. Three of Sault Ste. Marie’s top seven are back, led by sophomore Haleigh Knowles (seventh).
Individuals: Reigning champion and Negaunee now-junior Emily Paupore leads 10 returnees from last season’s top 20 – but she’s not the only champion in the field, as Ishpeming Westwood junior Tessa Leece won Division 2 a year ago. Kingsford sophomore Sarah Kulas will look to build on her ninth place in Division 1 last season, while juniors Katie Anderla of Menominee and Talon Prusi of Negaunee are back after finishing 12th and 13th, respectively. Houghton senior Anabel Needham will try to make a jump in her final high school meet after coming in 16th a year ago. Ishpeming Westwood sophomores Allyssea Smith and Elizabeth Williams finished 12th and 14th, respectively, in Division 2 in 2017.
Division 2
Reigning champion: St. Ignace
2017 runner-up: Ishpeming
Top-ranked: 1. Ishpeming, 2. Gogebic (Wakefield-Marenisco/Bessemer), 3. Ironwood.
St. Ignace broke Ishpeming’s three-year reign in Division 2 last fall, but the Hematites finished runners-up and return two top-20 finishers from last season – sophomore Chyanne Gardner (10th) and senior Brooke Johnson (16th) – and were led by two freshmen in finishing second at the Mid-Peninsula Conference final. Still, the Saints might be favored with four top-seven finishers back from last season – senior Elizabeth Becker (second), sophomore Emmalee Hart (third), sophomore Hallie Marshall (fifth) and senior Emily Coveyou (senior).
Individuals: Even with the Westwood runners in Division 1, 10 of last season’s top 20 are back. Sophomores Naomi Aili (13th) and Macie Ahonen (19th) were Gogebic’s top finishers in 2017, while Ironwood senior Emily Carey (fourth) and Newberry sophomore Sophy Smithson (eighth) will be looking to contend. And Munising senior Madeleine Peramaki should be in the mix too after she finished second in Division 3 a year ago.
Division 3
Reigning champion: Chassell
2017 runner-up: Rock Mid-Peninsula
Top-ranked: 1. Chassell, 2. Dollar Bay, 3. Rock Mid-Peninsula.
Chassell has won three of the last four Division 3 titles and finished second in 2016. The Panthers took four of the top eight team places last season, and all four of those standouts are back – senior Lela Rautiola (third), senior Jenna Pietila (seventh, sixth for team), freshman Paige Sleeman (eighth/seventh) and sophomore Gwen Kangas (ninth/eighth). Rock Mid returns three top-14 finishers – reigning champion and now-junior Daisy Englund, sophomore Landry Koski (fifth) and junior Chevey Koski (14th).
Individuals: A mighty 15 of last season’s top 20 return, not counting Munising’s Peramaki now in Division 2. Cedarville might also be a team contender with three of the 15 – sophomore Cassidy Barr (12th last season), freshman Meredith Emigh (16th) and junior Lily Freel (17th). Eben Junction Superior Central junior Danika Walters (sixth), Stephenson sophomore Kylee Kuntze (10th), Painesdale-Jeffers sophomore Keena Larson (11th), Pickford junior Natalie Miller (15th) and Engadine senior Annika Hollinger (19th) also are back.
PHOTO: Marquette and Ishpeming, here during a race earlier this season, are among title favorites Saturday. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)
Dow's Garces Runs with Legends, Romeo Makes Run at Legendary Team Score
November 2, 2024
BROOKLYN — When the name of Dathan Ritzenhein is brought up around current Michigan high school cross country runners, it’s a legendary name from the past whose exploits at Rockford took place before they were born.
The female equivalent is Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Rachel Forsyth, who shattered the girls course record at Michigan International Speedway only last year.
To Midland Dow senior Victoria Garces, Forsyth is not just a legendary name, but a contemporary. Garces was in the same race last year — albeit from a distance, like everyone else — when Forsyth posted her epic time of 16 minutes, 28.5 seconds to lower the MIS girls record by a jaw-dropping 23.6 seconds.
Forsyth seemed like she was on a different planet to Garces and anyone else who attempted to challenge her last fall.
Fast forward one year and Garces established herself as one of the all-time greats in Michigan cross country history by winning the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final in 16:37.1.
Garces’ time is the second-fastest ever at MIS and still a healthy 15 seconds lower than the mark Forsyth broke last year.
“Honestly, I’m in shock,” said Garces, who was fifth at both of the last two Division 1 Finals. “I’m just so grateful I’m here healthy. Last year states was a little bit of a challenge for me. I dealt with a little bit of an injury going in. Being here healthy, I just changed my outlook and I’m trying to focus on different things this season. I’m just so grateful to be anywhere near Rachel Forsyth’s time, because she’s just incredible.”
Garces knew she had a special race going when her and 2022 Division 1 champion Helen Sachs of Holland West Ottawa reached the mile mark in 5:24. At the two-mile mark, Sachs was first in 10:43.5, with Garces hot on her heels in 10:44.7.
“Helen started turning it on after the first mile,” Garces said. “I’m like, ‘I’ve never done this before,’ but I still felt pretty good, so I’m like, ‘All right, I’ll try it.’”
Garces broke away on a downhill before entering the stadium, hitting the three-mile mark in 16:04.1. She wound up lowering her personal record by 18.3 seconds.
“I was like, ‘Oh, wow, if I really bring this in, I can maybe get under 16:40,’” she said. “That was insane. I was not expecting to get a PR today, but it was super cool.”
Garces raced only six times all season, winning each time. She broke 17 minutes in all of her final three races.
Finishing third in 17:04.1 was Pioneer freshman Natasza Dudek, who shattered the MIS freshman record of 17:28.7 set by Romeo’s Annie Hrabovsky last year.
Romeo repeated as team champion with a dominant performance, putting six of its seven runners on the all-state podium with top-30 finishes.
The Bulldogs scored 61 points to best runner-up Saline by 82. Romeo had six runners across the line before Saline’s second runner finished.
Junior Natalia Guaresimo was sixth in 17:40.8, sophomore Annie Hrabovsky was 11th in 17:46.8, senior Lillian Deskins was 17th in 17:57.4, senior Violet Hrabovsky was 20th in 18:03.9 and senior Olivia Purdy was 22nd in 18:08.4 for Romeo. Even though her score didn’t count, junior Emmerson Clor made all-state by placing 30th in 18:21.1.
PHOTOS (Top) Midland Dow’s Victoria Garces eyes the finish as she pushes for what ended up the second-fastest girls time in Finals history at MIS. (Middle) Romeo’s Natalia Guaresimo (355) and Kalamazoo Central’s Annie Alkema surge toward the finish line. (Click for more from Dave McCauley/RunMichigan.com.)