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Marquette Redettes hone in on school record for girls’ ski championships after taking 5th straight

Marquette's Jacey Johnson competes in the slalom during the MHSAA Division 1 state skiing championships held at Boyne Highlands near Harbor Springs on Monday. (James Cook photo)

HARBOR SPRINGS — Marquette is chasing itself.

The Redettes’ girls ski team won its fifth straight Division 1 state championship Monday at Boyne Highlands.

That leaves only one team ahead of the current Marquette squad — the 1999-2004 Redettes, winners of six state titles in a row.

“I know a lot of teams don’t really want us to win every year and they don’t like that we always take it,” Marquette senior Jacey Johnson said, “but I’m just so happy that we are so good, and it’s just really nice to see because we all work so hard.”

Johnson claimed the individual slalom victory by over a second, finishing off a high school career that included earning all-state honors eight times.

Johnson finished in Michigan’s top 10 in seven of eight ski finals races she’s competed in. The eighth, which included a hike, still resulted in a 20th-place finish and second-team all-state honors two years ago.

Marquette’s Ainsley Kirk extended her streak of winning an individual state title to three years, taking her first giant slalom championship after being crowned slalom champ the previous two seasons.

Kirk’s first run was the best girls GS time of the day at 30.53 seconds. Grand Rapids-area Forest Hills Northern-Eastern’s Holly Grzelak, a cousin of Kirk’s teammates Aaron and Anna Grzelak, finished second by 0.16 of a second, tied with Rochester Adams’ Kaylee Richardson.

Marquette, which lost in the regionals to Traverse City Central, topped the Trojans this time around.

“It just shows how great Marquette is,” said TC Central senior Elizabeth Saunders, who finished second behind Johnson in the slalom. “They’re strong and deep, like we are, and next year they have to come out even harder. I won’t be around next year, but those girls are going to be in good hands.”

Central also topped Forest Hills Northern-Eastern in that regional, but the Forest Hills squad also snuck ahead of the Trojans.

Marquette won with 67 points, 10 ahead of Forest Hills. TC Central was another five back, with Clarkston fourth at 114.

The day’s events took longer than normal, as warm temperatures forced the addition of chemicals to the slalom hills after the first runs of the day produced a high amount of falls and hikes.

“There were a lot of crashes,” Saunders said. “It was like one after another forever.”

Marquette has lost to TC Central in regionals each of the last two years, then came back to win the state championships.

“Seems that seems to be the way the last few years,” said TC Central sophomore Elle Craven, who placed seventh in slalom and sixth in giant slalom. “We want to break that pattern, though.”

The rest of the slalom top 10 consisted of Forest Hills Northern-Eastern’s Jenna Grzelak, Clarkston’s Courtney Bayley, Northern-Eastern’s Jaycee O’Neill, Anna Grzelak of Marquette, Craven, South Lyon’s Kelsie O’Connor, Rochester Adams’ Richardson and Milford’s Maddie Melody.

In giant slalom, Jenna Grzelak took fourth, Johnson fifth, Craven sixth, Brighton’s Maddie Carrico seventh, TC West’s Ava Warren eighth, O’Connor ninth and Anna Grzelak 10th.

“I’m just excited that the kids showed some grit today and stuck with it, because it wasn’t an easy day,” Marquette assistant coach Keenan Cooper said. “Look how long it was. It was hot out for skiing, which can take a lot out of you because that sun’s beating down on you.”

James Cook is a sports writer for the Record-Eagle in Traverse City.

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