Great seasons: Marquette 2nd in state with 4 MHSAA titles
By Journal Sports Staff
EAST LANSING — Marquette tied for the second-most Michigan High School Athletic Association state championships won by any school during the past school year.
The Redmen and Redettes claimed four titles, all Upper Peninsula Finals championships, which count as state titles in sports where the Lower Peninsula and U.P. have separate finals tournaments.
MSHS won in boys cross country, boys track and field and both girls and boys swimming and diving, according to a recent release from the MHSAA.
The Redmen boys cross country team was coached by Kyle Detmers, boys track by Derek Marr and both swim teams by Nathan McFarren.
Marquette tied with Ann Arbor Pioneer with four state titles, while East Grand Rapids led the way with five triumphs.
Pioneer took its titles in four Lower Peninsula finals — girls cross country, girls tennis and both boys and girls swimming and diving — while East Grand Rapids took its with a similar list of girls cross country, girls lacrosse, girls track and field and boys and girls swimming and diving.
Two schools won three titles apiece, Hudson and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood.
Among the 16 schools winning two titles were Westwood, Munising, Escanaba, Houghton and North Central from the U.P.
Westwood’s titles came in boys and girls tennis, both coached by Sarah Massie.
Munising won its pair in girls cross country and girls golf. The Mustangs’ cross country team was coached by Mark Kinnunen and golf by Bette Immel.
Escanaba won its pair of championships in girls golf and boys tennis, Houghton in girls cross country and boys golf and North Central in boys golf and eight-player football.
Statewide, 98 schools won at least one championship, including Hillsdale Academy and Wyoming Potter’s House Christian winning their first titles ever.
Twenty-nine teams won their first title in their respective sports, while 45 champs were repeat winners from the previous season, 2020-21. In addition, 20 teams were “three-peat” winners and a half-dozen won for at least the fourth consecutive time.
Lowell wrestling has the longest title streak at nine straight years.
The MHSAA said of its 28 team championship tournaments, a dozen are separated into U.P. and Lower Peninsula events with the other 16 unified across the state.
A full listing of the sport-by-sport champions is available online at the MHSAA’s website at https://www.mhsaa.com/Portals/0/Documents/Media/21-22ParadeofChampions.pdf.
Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.