Local Sports

Running wild, running free: Cross country All-State, All-U.P. teams named

Cross country All-State, All-U.P. teams named

MARQUETTE -- Runners from nearly every area high school that offers the sport were recognized when awards were recently determined by the Upper Peninsula Cross Country Coaches Association.

The group met at Jasper Ridge Brewery in Ishpeming on Oct. 28, according to Marquette Senior High School head coach Kyle Detmers.

Honors were bestowed on the top 25 boys and top 25 girls runners in each of the U.P.'s three MHSAA divisions for a total of 151 runners.

From among them, an overall Runner of the Year was determined for each gender, along with a seven-member All-U.P. Dream Team and several other runners just missing as Dream Team honorable mention.

Three mentors were named Coach of the Year and six squads as a Team of the Year.

Leading the way as Runner of the Year were a pair of U.P. champions from the area, both seniors -- Lucas Ballard of Marquette and Abby Taylor of Newberry.

Ballard won the Division 1 boys title by nearly 40 seconds, with his two closest pursuers a pair of teammates, senior Vasu Esplin and junior William Lindsay. Ballard had more than 70 seconds on a runner from any other school.

Taylor was dominant in similar fashion in the Division 2 girls finals, winning her crown by 13 seconds over sophomore teammate Molly McNamara as no other runner was closer than 59 seconds.

They also headed up their respective All-U.P. Dream Teams.

Joining Ballard for the boys was Esplin and Lindsay, along with Westwood sophomore Calvin Carlson, who was seventh in the Division 1 U.P. finals. That elite honor team also included senior Chase Aldridge of Sault Ste. Marie, who was fourth in Division 1, senior Ethan Snyder of Cedarville, who won the Division 3 title, and sophomore Ashdeyn Gerow of Mid Peninsula, sixth at the D-3 finals.

Just off that team but earning honorable mention were senior Kemper Gearhart of Ishpeming, who won the Division 2 crown by 12 1/2 seconds, and junior Brandon Van Karsen of Houghton, ninth in D-1.

Joining Taylor on the girls All-U.P. team were her teammate McNamara, freshman Charlotte Jones of Marquette, who won the Division 1 championship by 20 seconds, freshman Julia Plaxco of Negaunee, third in D-1, and freshman Edye Burdett of Superior Central, who took the D-3 title by 51 seconds.

The balance of girls' U.P. Dream Teamers were junior Maria Murvich of Kingsford, runner-up in D-1, and senior Asia Jones of Sault Ste. Marie, who was fifth in D-1.

Just off that team but winning honorable mention were junior Holly Cooke of Houghton, fourth in Division 1, and junior Bree Besonen of Ewen-Trout Creek, runner-up in D-3.

Area teams claimed two-thirds of the coaching awards and half of the team honors.

Detmers was named Division 1 Coach of the Year, while Erin DeCarlo of L'Anse earned that honor in Division 3. Division 2 was claimed by Mike Kirschner of Rudyard.

For Team of the Year, the Marquette boys won in Division 1, Munising girls in Division 2 and L'Anse girls in Division 3.

Other top team honors went to the Houghton girls in D-1, Rudyard boys in D-2 and Cedarville boys in D-3.

All these Dream Team and honorable mentions were named All-State in their respective divisions, with the top 15 runners of each division becoming All-State and the next 10 (or in one case, 11) becoming All-U.P.

Here are the All-State and All-U.P. runners from area schools, listed with their year and school:

• Division 1 boys -- All-State: Garrett Crimmins, jr., Marquette; Lake Skytta, jr., Marquette; Welly Fillmore, sr., Marquette; Jayden Seekie, jr., Marquette. All-U.P.: Tyler Rautiola, soph., Negaunee; Caleb Christensen, sr., Westwood

• Division 1 girls -- All-State: Emma Ziegler, soph., Marquette; Ava Cantway, soph., Marquette; Keira Waterman, sr., Negaunee; Amira Perrier, soph., Marquette. All-U.P.: Eliza Sicotte, jr., Negaunee; Eryn Veverka, sr., Marquette; Sophie Coxon, soph., Marquette; Brynn Wieciech, soph., Negaunee

• Division 2 boys -- All-State: Blake Lakosky, sr., Munising; Evan Kelto, fresh., Munising; Orin Shalom, sr., Munising; Nolan Dolaskie, sr., Munising; Dylan Krause, soph., Munsing. All-U.P.: John Green, soph., Gwinn; Ben Dryke, sr., Munising

• Division 2 girls -- All-State: Emma Conklin, fresh., Munising; Sophie Mahoski, soph., Ishpeming; Addie Bowerman, jr., Munising; Edon Kidd, fresh., Munising; Maya Weiss, jr., Munising. All-U.P.: Zoey Kidd, jr., Munising; Natalie Brock, fresh., Munising

• Division 3 boys -- All-State: Jaxon Klyk, fresh., Superior Central. All-U.P.: Kaydan Davidson, jr., L'Anse

• Division 3 girls -- All-State: Lily Froese, jr., L'Anse; Kwynn Voskuhl, jr., L'Anse; Princess Pierre, jr., L'Anse; Tessa Thor, sr., L'Anse; Kendra Pederson, jr., Superior Central. All-U.P.: Aaliyah Maki, jr., L'Anse; Arianna Jahfetson, 8th grade, L'Anse; Aybri Sorensen, jr., Baraga

Story contents based on an email received from Marquette head coach Kyle Detmers. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee's email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.