Sleeman, Houghton Earn 1st Finals Wins
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
October 25, 2020
MARQUETTE — It was a day for making history for the Houghton girls here Saturday as they edged reigning champion Marquette 56-58 for their first Upper Peninsula Division 1 cross country title.
Houghton previously had finished Finals runner-up in 1989 and 2007.
Sault Ste. Marie squeezed past Ishpeming Westwood 82-83 for third place.
“All of the girls really stepped up today,” said Houghton assistant coach Erik Johnson. “Marquette and Sault are tough, and Westwood has a strong team. We worked our tails off.
“We were off for two weeks due to COVID-19, but the girls ran on the own and it paid off. This was a tough year with the virus and everything else. Our No. 1 goal was to get here and finish the season.”
Houghton junior Paige Sleeman was crowned champion for the first time, covering the 3.1-mile course at Presque Isle Park in 20 minutes, 55.2 seconds on this chilly and overcast day. She was followed by Westwood sophomore Heidi Meglathery (21:00.8) and classmate Ingrid Seagram (21:19.4).
“I just tried to stay with the top runners,” she said. “I like running in colder weather.
“I wanted to win and wanted our team to win. We were willing to do whatever it took. Marquette has tough runners. Ingrid had a real good race. I felt she held it together well. All the teams and girls ran well.”
Seagren, who has asthma, said she had some breathing issues.
"I’m trying to get it under control,” she added. “I’m still happy with the way I ran. I just had to keep preparing myself. Paige had a great race. I’m really proud of her.
“This is really a boost for our program. I’m super proud of our team and how we ran.”
Meglathery was fresh from earning her first Mid-Peninsula Conference title.
“I really, really wanted to win,” she said. “I just thought about the positives and helping the team. I think winning the M-PC gave me some momentum. It was tight the whole race. Ingrid was right behind me for a while, then she started trailing a little. There were a lot of hills on the course and it was super windy by the lake (Superior). I like running in the cold more than in the heat.”
Marquette senior Olivia Moffitt placed fourth (21:50.2), and Westwood senior Elizabeth Williams took fifth (21:53).
“Hats off to Houghton,” said Marquette coach Kyle Detmers. “They missed two weeks and their girls still came through. Their 1-2 punch is hard to beat. Olivia was battling a cold, but she came through for us. This is the only meet we lost all year, yet there’s nothing inside me that’s disappointed.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Houghton's Paige Sleeman (88) leads Ishpeming-Westwood's Heidi Meglathery (92), the eventual runner-up, on the way to winning the Division 1 Final at Presque Isle Park in Marquette. (Middle) Sleeman runs with Marquette's Olivia Moffitt (104) near the beginning of the race. Moffitt took fourth. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)
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.)