Slalom Strong Redettes Extend Title Run
February 26, 2018
By Keith Dunlap
Special for Second Half
BOYNE FALLS – The Marquette girls ski team looks as if it is about to produce another dynasty like it did during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Marquette won six MHSAA Finals titles from 1999-2004, and it is halfway to matching that total after winning its third straight Division 1 championship Monday at Boyne Mountain.
The Redettes finished first with 48 points, ahead of the 76 produced by second-place Traverse City West. Traverse City Central was third at 109, Milford fourth at 160 and Clarkston finished fifth with a final total of 172.
Leading the way for Marquette was sophomore Ainsley Kirk, who didn’t arrive at Boyne Mountain until Sunday night because she was home attempting to qualify for a USSA meet next weekend in Colorado, which she did successfully.
Kirk won the slalom with a time of 1:07.81 and took third in the giant slalom with a time of 1:09.53.
The fact that Kirk was able to finish was an accomplishment, given numerous top skiers fell on the first run of the slalom due to the slushy conditions on what was an unusually sunny and mild day for a Finals event, with temperatures in the low to mid 40s for most of the meet.
“It’s not my favorite,” Kirk said of the soft conditions. “The first run was still actually pretty firm because it was in the shade. In my second run, I had to make some line adjustments because of how soft it was.”
Kirk’s teammate Sadah Scheidt was second in slalom with a time of 1:09.25, Emma Dutmers of Traverse City Central was third at 1:10.30, Hannah Schramski of Traverse City West finished fourth at 1:11.10 and Elle Warren of Traverse City West was fifth with a time of 1:12.84.
“The girls got second at Regionals, and the girls had a rough day in the (giant slalom),” Marquette coach Dan Menze said. “We came into the GS and we skied much better and towards where we thought we should ski. We knew coming into the slalom that we were lucky to have talented skiers in that event.”
Skiers from lower Michigan dominated the top eight in the giant slalom, with six hailing from Oakland County.
Olivia Weymouth of Bloomfield Hills Marian highlighted that group, winning the individual title with a time of 1:08.11.
“With GS, I find it more fun I guess,” said Weymouth, who also skis the slalom but didn’t finish her first race in that event. “I put in a lot of work and dedication, and it was cool to see it show through with the GS title.”
Kate Bridges of Birmingham United was second at 1:08.40, Kaylee Richardson of Rochester Adams was fourth at 1:09.45, Grace Stetsko was fifth with a time of 1:09.53, Morgan Watts of Milford was sixth at 1:09.67 and Grace Dillon of Bloomfield Hills was eighth with a time of 1:10.45.
PHOTOS: (Top) Marquette's Ainsley Kirk races on her way to a first-place finish in the slalom. (Middle) Marian's Olivia Weymouth clears a gate during her a giant slalom run. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Notre Dame Prep's Studt Sweeps, 'All Play Part' as Harbor Springs Ends Title Wait
By
Brian Freiberger
Special for MHSAA.com
February 24, 2025
HARBOR SPRINGS — Pontiac Notre Dame Prep junior Maren Studt had to watch last year's MHSAA Division 2 Girls Skiing Final from the sideline with a broken collarbone she suffered two days before the big race.
This time around, she competed and took advantage of the opportunity.
After contributing to a team championship as a freshman, Studt was especially determined to reach the pinnacle again, this time as an individual.
"I've been nervous about it for the race this whole season. Today, I decided I was going to go out and do my best and see what happens," she said. "This season, I had no expectations because I don't know how I would have ended up, and so I just went out and did my best this season."
After her first run in slalom Monday at Boyne Highlands, Studt knew she had to rip her second – which led to the first-place finish with a two-run combined time of 1:16.10. She was in high spirits heading into her favorite event, giant slalom.
"GS is my favorite discipline, so I was just ready to go to and had to put the morning aside and just try to go do it again. Then the second run, the snow was a little rough, but I willed through and I was happy with the finish," Studt said.
Studt won the giant slalom with a two-run time of 66.79 seconds.
The junior cherished the accomplishment but now has a crown to defend.
"I hope to do it again, two-peat, and the (2025-26) season starts tomorrow," she said.
Meanwhile, Harbor Springs earned its first girls Finals championship in 10 years behind a complete team performance.
"They believed they could, and they did it," Harbor Springs coach Ellen Beatty said. "They all played their part and stepped it up, and it was an awesome day."
Harbor Springs claimed first place with 68 points, and East Grand Rapids finished runner-up with 91. Bloomfield Hills Marian finished third, followed by Cadillac, Detroit Country Day, Grand Rapids Christian, Rochester Adams, Great North Alpine and Norway.
The Rams skied smart and fast despite the slushy conditions. All six skiers finished all 24 runs without any falls or disqualifications.
"I think they were fired up and ready to go and proved they could do it," Beatty said. "They're an extraordinary group of girls, and it was amazing to watch them grow over the season. Their competition was themselves. So they pushed each other to this level and won a state championship because of it."
Throughout the entire season, different Rams took first places, and even Monday, the whole roster was primed to run their best races.
The last time Harbor Springs won a Finals championship was 2015.
Harbor Springs senior Tara Shouldice took second in GS with a two-run time of 1:07. Keeler Brainard finished 11th, while Drew and Mackenzie Bowman finished 15th and 16th, respectively. Teammate Quinn Myers finished 17th overall to round out a stellar team GS section.
"I know a lot of people were watching us because we were the team to beat, and I think everybody skied well, and we stepped up to the competition," Shouldice said.
Mckenzie Bowman finished seventh overall in the slalom race, and Shouldice finished 16th, while Quinn Myers, Elliott Baetens, and Drew Bowman finished 25th, 29th, and 30th, respectively.
"I feel like we have pretty high expectations of ourselves, and we fulfilled those," Mckenzie Bowman said.
Baetens added: "I'm just really proud of our team. We did a good job, even with the sticky snow, and we all finished our runs. We just did a great job coming together as a team."
East Grand Rapids put on a stellar show to place second.
"The girls stuck together, even having those little problems, and gave Harbor Springs a battle. We'll be back with the ladies," East Grand Rapids girls and boys coach KC McGovern said.
EGR freshman Sophie Hicks led the Pioneers with a second-place finish in slalom (1:16). The top five spots in slalom were decided by 1.5 seconds.
"I'm really happy with slalom, but not so much GS. … I'd love to win states in the future," she said.
Hannah Darooge finished fifth in GS to round out her senior season and high school career.
"It's always good to end your season on a good note, but to end it all on a good note, just like, makes you happy. makes you feel like you did something good," Darooge said.
Brayden Winkel finished fourth overall in slalom and ninth in GS to conclude a stellar sophomore year.
"The experience helps because hopefully we're back here for the next two years until I'm a senior,” Winkel said. “Hopefully next time we bring it home all the way.”
Click for full results. Click to watch NFHS Network broadcasts: Slalom | Giant Slalom
PHOTOS (Top) Eventual champion Notre Dame Prep's Maren Studt approaches a gate during a giant slalom run Monday at Boyne Highlands. (Middle) Harbor Springs' Tara Shouldice races in GS on the way to finishing second to lead the team champion. (Below) East Grand Rapids' Sophie Hicks cuts into a turn in slalom; she finished runner-up. (Click for more photos by Sarah Shepherd - more will be added throughout this week.)