Sentinels sweep UP Division 1 CC meet; KHS’s Murvich 2nd
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HOUGHTON -- Marquette pulled off a clean sweep in Division 1 at the MHSAA Upper Peninsula Finals in high school cross country held at the Michigan Tech Ski Trails near Houghton on Saturday.
Senior Lucas Ballard led the way as all seven Sentinels runners finished in the top 20 to dominate the boys meet.
But the girls meet was much closer, with freshman Charlotte Jones leading MSHS to a six-point victory over Houghton with the teams’ final runners making a difference, too.
Jones pulled off a 20-second victory over Kingsford’s Maria Murvich to lead her Sentinels to a 49-point total as runner-up Houghton had 55 and Sault Ste. Marie third with 67.
Negaunee was fourth with 83, while Kingsford had 125, Menominee 173, Calumet 185 and Escanaba 204.
Westwood and Manistique were among several teams, also including Gladstone and North Central, that didn’t field full teams and thus didn’t score.
All five of Marquette’s scorers cracked the top 20 (for scoring purposes), with its sixth runner 21st, while the Gremlins’ fifth runner came in 25th.
Jones finished the five-kilometer (3.1-mile) course in 19 minutes, 42.4 seconds, a shade better than Kingsford junior Murvich at 20:02.8.
A young Negaunee runner made it two freshmen on the medals stand, with ninth-grader Julia Plaxco coming in third -- the bronze medal -- in 20:11.6.
Following was Houghton junior Holly Cooke fourth in 20:27.2 and Sault Ste. Marie senior Asia Jones fifth in 20:29.7.
In the boys meet, Ballard posted a nearly 40-second victory as the Sentinels finished 1-2-3 with all seven of their runners actually in the first 14.
That allowed Marquette to run away and hide in the team competition, scoring 19 points to 79 for runner-up Sault Ste. Marie as Houghton finished third with 84.
Westwood was fourth with 131, winning a tiebreaker with Gladstone with the same point total. Negaunee came in sixth with 137, while Kingsford had 190 and Menominee 198.
Kingsford’s Cavan Mulligan placed 15th.
Manistique was among several schools that didn’t field full teams and didn’t score.
Ballard clocked 16:28.9, beating out senior teammate Vasu Esplin by just about 40 seconds in 17:08.1.
In addition, MSHS junior William Lindsay was third in 17:23.8, junior Garrett Crimmins fifth in 17:58.4, junior Lake Skytta eighth in 18:03.4, senior Welly Fillmore 13th in 18:24.2 and junior Jayden Seekie 14th in 18:27.1.
“I felt really good through the whole run,” Ballard told the Escanaba Daily Press a day after turning 18. “It’s a beautiful day and a great way to end the season. I’m pretty happy with my time. I did a lot of training. It’s great to see my hard work pay off. This is a great birthday present.”
Division 1
Boys
Marquette 19, Sault Ste. Marie 79, Houghton 84, Ishpeming Westwood and Gladstone 131, Negaunee 137, Kingsford 190, Menominee 198. Escanaba, Manistique, Calumet, Powers North Central NTS.
Top 15 — 1, Lucas Ballard, Marquette, 16:28.9; 2, Vasu Esplin, Marquette, 17:08.1; 3, William Lindsay, Marquette, 17:23.8; 4, Chase Aldrich, Sault Ste. Marie, 17:39.9; 5. Garrett Crimmins, Marquette, 17:58.4; 6, Tyler Rule, Houghton, 17:58.5; 7, Calvin Carlson Ishpeming Westwood, 18:01; 8, Lake Skytta, Marquette, 18:03.4; 9, Brandon Van Karsen, Houghton, 18:09.1; 10, Bradley Klann, Menominee, 18:19.6; 11, Chuck Cameron, Gladstone, 18:22.1; 12, Cole Ceane, Houghton, 18:23.1; 14, Jayden Seekie, Marquette, 18:27.1; 15, Cavan Mulligan, Kingsford, 18:46.4.
Division 1
Girls
Marquette 49, Houghton 55, Sault Ste. Marie 67, Negaunee 83, Kingsford 125, Menominee 173, Calumet 185, Escanaba 204. Gladstone, Powers North Central, Ishpeming Westwood and Manistique NTS.
Top 15 — 1, Charlotte Jones, Marquette, 19:42.4; 2, Maria Murvich, Kingsford, 20:02.8; 3, Julia Plaxco, Negaunee, 20:11.6; 4, Holly Cooke, Houghton, 20:27.2; 5, Asia Jones, Sault Ste. Marie, 20:29.7; 6, Emma Ziegler, Marquette, 20:38.8; 7, Emma Jukuri, Houghton, 21:01.9; 8, Norah Woodruff, Houghton, 21:10.9; 9, Ava Cantway, Marquette, 21:10.5; 10, Winley Brandt, Menominee, 21:20.2; 11, Brooke Hoppe, Houghton, 21:22.1; 12, Keira Waterman, Negaunee, 21:30.2; 13, Amira Perrier, Marquette; 14, Isabeau Woodard, Sault Ste. Marie, 21:39.7; 15, Cora Goulet, Sault Ste. Marie, 21:55.9
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The Daily News contributed.