Theis Leads Cougars, Leaves a Legend
November 4, 2017
Second Half reports
BROOKLYN — Of the thousands of girls who have run in the MHSAA Cross Country Finals at Michigan International Speedway, only one had ever broken the 17-minute barrier.
Winning the 2009 Lower Peninsula Division 1 meet in 16:54.8 just a month before winning the national Foot Locker championship made Rochester’s Megan Goethals a legend in the sport.
So, where does that put Olivia Theis?
Theis, a senior at Lansing Catholic, took down Goethals’ record by blistering a muddy MIS course in 16:52.1 to win the Division 2 title. Her performance also led the Cougars to the team championship.
“I didn’t expect it, especially coming in as a freshman,” Theis said. “I just had no idea how good I could be. I think my team has definitely pushed me to be the best I could be.”
It was the first individual title for Theis, who improved from 19th as a freshman to ninth as a sophomore to second as a junior when Lansing Catholic ran in Division 3.
Defending champion Kayla Windemuller of Holland Christian stayed with Theis until the second mile. A 5:29 second mile, followed by a 5:11 third mile, allowed Theis to break the record and win by a landslide.
“I didn’t know if she was going to come with me or not,” Theis said.
Mason junior Cecilia Stalzer was second in 17:35.9, Lansing Catholic junior Lauren Cleary was third in 17:43.7 and Windemuller was fourth in 17:50.8.
Lansing Catholic beat Grand Rapids Christian, 77-145, for the team title. DeWitt took third with 197 points.
Sophomore Jaden Theis was sixth (18:18.7), senior Grace Frost was 33rd (19:15.2) and sophomore Rachel Reid was 63rd (19:15.2) for the Cougars.
“We knew going in we were going to have to race really hard, and that’s just what we did,” Cleary said.
It was the first MHSAA championship for Lansing Catholic, which took second in Division 3 in 2000 and 2016.
Olivia Theis and Frost ran in all four meets as the Cougars progressed from sixth place in 2014 to fourth in 2015 to second last year.
PHOTOS: (Top) Lansing Catholic’s Olivia Theis charges by a mile marker en route to the fastest 5K time in MHSAA Finals history. (Middle) The Cougars’ Lauren Cleary (1395) leads Mason’s Cecilia Stalzer (1422) early in the Division 2 race; they’d finish third and second, respectively. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)
Paupore Closes Career with 3-Peat Run
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
October 19, 2019
By John Vrancic
Special for Second Half
MARQUETTE – Negaunee senior Emily Paupore is used to leading the way in cross country races.
She has done that in most races since her sophomore year.
That held true again at Saturday's Upper Peninsula Finals as she earned her third straight Division 1 title at Gentz's Golf Course in Chocolay Township.
Paupore covered the 3.1-mile course in 19 minutes, 18.7 seconds. She was followed by Kingsford junior Melanie Wenzel (20:27) and Houghton sophomore Ingrid Seaholm (20:38.9).
"Honestly, this was one of my toughest races this year," she said. "This wasn't my best race, but I'm thankful to end with a U.P. championship. Our coach (Lisa Bigalk) is retiring after this year. This is a very special day. I knew her since I was born, and she was in the hospital (Marquette General) when I was born. We have a special bond for sure. She's awesome.
"Coming across the finish line in a cross country race for the last time as a high school runner is bittersweet. Although, I'm ready for my next chapter (college cross country and track). It's cool to have had the experience of running high school cross country."
Marquette edged Kingsford 66-69 for its fifth title in seven years. Last season’s champion Sault Ste. Marie squeezed past Houghton 79-80 for third place.
"We knew it would be close," said Marquette coach Kyle Detmers. "Lillian Weycher, who was our sixth or seventh runner all year, and was our No. 3 runner today. And Ericka Asmus and Josie Danielkiewicz ran after having some time off. Kingsford came in behind them, and that was the difference."
This marked the first runner-up finish for Kingsford in its program's history.
For Wenzel, the race closed the book on her first cross country season.
"We trained hard this summer," she said. "I think we all did good for running on a windy day. There were a lot of rolling hills on the course. We really had to pick it up there. We were very consistent. We were all getting our times down."
Division 2
Hancock retained its D-2 title with 34 points, followed by St. Ignace with 56 and Ishpeming with 84.
"We lost three girls from last season, but gained three girls," said Hancock's Jennifer Smith, who previously coached in Ohio. "They absolutely pulled it together and did what it took. Four of our girls were playing volleyball, and four were always running. We knew St. Ignace was our competition, and Ishpeming has some good runners.
“This is my first year coaching cross country up here. I jumped into an already great program, and we want to keep it going."
Hancock freshman Maylie Kilpela won in 21:16.9, followed by Munising freshman Hattie Cota (21:43.5) and Ishpeming sophomore Taylor Longtine (22:00.3).
"I just stayed right behind (Cota)," said Kilpela. "She's a good runner. I passed her in the last mile and knew I had to keep going.
“It feels great to be part of a championship team. We were running against good competition all year, and that pushed us a lot. All our girls did well."
Division 3
Chassell, placing four in the top eight, captured its third consecutive D-3 championship with 36 points. The Panthers, who also won for the fifth time in six years, were followed by Rock Mid Peninsula with 73 points and Cedarville at 90.
Mid Pen sophomore Landry Koski earned her first Finals championship in 21:31.2, followed by Cedarville freshman Lilianna Cason (21:42.1) and Mid Pen junior Daisy Englund (21:49.4).
"This was a nice course," said Koski. "Although, I didn't know what to expect. The wind was a factor today. It was like hitting a wall in the last stretch, plus we had all the little hills. The course didn't look that hard at first, but once you're running on the hills you realize how challenging they are.
It feels great to be a U.P. champion. This was very unexpected. I'm just kind of on Cloud Nine right now."
Chassell placed the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth runners to dominate the team standings. Kamryn Sohlden, Paige Sleeman, Ayla Miller and Gwen Kangas all ran between 22:07 and 22:24.
PHOTOS: (Top) Negaunee’s Emily Paupore opens up a big lead during the Division 1 Final on Saturday. (Middle) Hancock’s Sierrah Driscoll (187) leads a Division 2 pack including Norway’s Taylor Adams (210). (Below) Chassell’s Paige Sleeman (348) paces a group in the Division 3 race. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)