To the Journal editor:

I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Marquette Senior High School Girls Cross Country team and its coaches on an exemplary 11-0 season.

Cross country running is unique among athletics because teams are serving a dual purpose – competing both as individuals and as a team unit. A meet cannot be won on the strength of one or two runners alone; to be victorious you need a solid core of athletes.

The MSHS girls dominated every other team in the Upper Peninsula by fielding a slate of runners that was strong from top to bottom. In many instances, including U.P. Finals, the Marquette girls had all seven of their varsity finish before other teams had two or three across the line. All seven girls are GNC All Conference, and all seven girls are All U.P.

Huebner said it very well in the Sunday, October 21, edition of the Mining Journal, “We all had confidence in each other and the coaches had confidence in us.”

This confidence came from knowing that if one or two of the girls weren’t up to their best at a race it wouldn’t matter because someone else would step up. They worked hard, they supported one another, and they relied on one another. That is teamwork.

The seven outstanding young women who won U.P. Finals are: seniors Nichole Mackey, Abby Potts, and Cassidy Thomas; juniors Shayla Huebner and Calla Martysz; Sophomore Lindsey Rudden; and freshman Amber Huebner. Also contributing to the varsity effort during the season were junior Martha Storm and freshman Hannah Detmers. The team is coached by Dale Phillips, Tony Elliot, Kyle Detmers, and Nathan Roberts.

Michele Darner Thomas

Marquette