Performance of the Week: Sault Ste. Marie's Gabe Litzner
September 6, 2024
Gabe Litzner ♦ Sault Ste. Marie
Junior ♦ Cross Country
Litzner entered this season as the back-to-back Upper Peninsula Division 1 champion, and he's extending his dominance to the Lower Peninsula as well. He's run, and won, two races downstate already this fall including the Aug. 28 East Jordan Invitational, when he finished first among Division 1, 2 and 3 competitors with a time of 15:26.7 – only 1.3 seconds off his winning Finals time from a year ago.
That time also was nearly 53 seconds faster than the field at East Jordan as Sault Ste. Marie finished second in the D1-3 race to Traverse City St. Francis. A week earlier, Litzner won the Birch Run Invitational by nearly 34 seconds against a field that included teams from all four Lower Peninsula divisions. He'll be running later this fall to become the ninth three-time UP Finals champion. He's also the reigning UPD1 track & field champion in the 3,200, where he set the meet record of 9:35.63, and was on the winning 3,200 relay as a freshman.
@mhsaasports 🏃♂️➡️POW: Gabe Litzner #crosscountry #SaultSteMarie #invitational #winner #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA
@mhsaasports 🏃♂️➡️POW: Gabe Litzner #tiktalk #questiontime #part2 #greenbaypackers #jordan #cornhole #butterfinger #emoji #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
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MHSAA.com's "Performance of the Week" features are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
Previous 2024-25 honorees
Aug. 30: Grace Slocum, Traverse City St. Francis golf - Report
PHOTOS courtesy of the Sault Ste. Marie athletic department.
Performance of the Week: Kingsley's Jenna Middleton
September 25, 2026
Jenna Middleton ♦ Kingsley
Senior ♦ Volleyball
Kingsley’s record-setting outside hitter became the 35th player in MHSAA girls volleyball history to reach 2,000 kills during the rally scoring era, doing so during her team’s win over Negaunee on Sept 12, and then set the school record for kills three days later during a win over Grayling. She’s up to 2,057 career kills after adding 23 more to her total Tuesday against Harbor Springs.
The returning all-stater also was her team’s leading hitter as the Stags won last season’s Division 3 championship, and she’s helped Kingsley to a 27-3-1 record and No. 5 ranking this week in Division 2. She does not intend to continue playing volleyball after high school, but plans to attend Northern Michigan University and study English and potentially creative writing or journalism.
@mhsaasports 🏐 POW: Jenna Middleton #Kingsley #Volleyball #Record #PerformanceOfTheWeek #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA
@mhsaasports 🏐 POW: Jenna Middleton #TikTalk #FunFacts #FYP #HighSchoolSports #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA
Follow the MHSAA on TikTok.
MHSAA.com's "Performance of the Week" features are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and X @mistudentaid.
Past 2026-27 honorees
Sept. 18: Caden Livermore, Grandville cross country - Read
(Photos courtesy of the Kingsley volleyball program.)