Solgot Realizes Championship Potential, Working to Become Michigan's Best
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
October 30, 2026
MACOMB — For Macomb L’Anse Creuse North junior Xavier Solgot, last year’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Cross Country Finals were about more than just where he finished.
Sure, Solgot was thrilled to nearly crack the top 10, placing 11th and finishing as the top underclassman at the meet.
But more than the result, his performance was a personal revelation revealing what kind of runner he can become.
“It gave me a lot of confidence and just showed I can stick with those top guys,” Solgot said. “Last year, I came in and I didn’t think I was going to be up there that much. I feel like my goal was just to get all-state. Getting 11th was more than I expected. Going into this year, it showed me that I can push through what my expectations are for myself.”
Solgot has certainly pushed to even better things so far this fall. Last month, Solgot broke his own school record, clocking a time of 15.02. He also repeated as champion at the Macomb County meet on Oct. 17, finishing nearly a full minute ahead of the second-place finisher with a time of 15:22.9.
Barring anything unforeseen at the Regional on Friday at Algonac, Solgot should qualify for next week’s Finals and enter on the short list of individual Division 1 title contenders.
“I’m not as worried about place this year as I was last year,” Solgot said. “I think that I just want to push myself as much as I can. Just give it everything and just stay with the top guys as long as I can. Last year, I think I was third at the mile (marker). This year, I think I can stick with them longer.”
Solgot said he first got into cross country when he was in sixth grade after being “peer pressured” by friends to get into the sport, but said a turning point came when he was running a meet during eighth grade.
“In eighth grade, we had a Regional meet and I took my (2-mile) PR from 12:00 to an 11:31, and then I realized I could be pretty good at this and I should start training more in the offseason,” he said.
This season, Solgot looks to be in even better form, and for more reasons than just being a year older and stronger.
For one, he said he prioritizes being fresh each day.
“I’m always getting about 10 hours of sleep every night and making sure I’m well-rested before starting to train,” he said.
Two, Solgot said he has remedied an issue that plagued him during track season when he ran the 1,600 and 3,200 meters.
“I found out at the beginning of cross season that I was very deficient on iron,” he said. “That is kind of why I did so bad at the end of the season of my track year. I’ve been taking iron supplements, and every day I feel better than the last day.”
Finally, Solgot said he has made sure to fully optimize his mental outlook going into each race.
“I’ve kind of changed my perspective going into races,” he said, noting he has upped his training by five miles per week this season. “I used to be nervous, and then I started seeing a sports psychologist to feel less nervous and more prepared for the race. Not be so anxious.”
It’s all made for a terrific junior season, and going into the final week, Solgot and the rest of the state know he belongs among the top echelon of Division 1 contenders.
Keith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS (Top) L’Anse Creuse North’s Xavier Solgot runs with a pack toward the finish of last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final at Michigan International Speedway. (Middle) Solgot holds up his medal after this season’s Macomb County championship meet. (Finals photo by RunMichigan.com. County awards photo provided by Solgot.)
North Central's Jets Blast Off in D3 Final
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
October 19, 2013
HARVEY — Powers North Central coach Jerry Root and Stephenson junior Connor Cappaert were overcome with emotion following Saturday’s Upper Peninsula Cross Country Finals at Gentz’s Homestead Golf Course in Marquette County.
The North Central boys earned their first Division 3 title by edging Pickford 66-68. Third-place Cedarville scored 109 points.
“The whole team stepped up,” said Root, while shedding tears of joy. “These kids worked so hard. They never had a bad attitude one day. To step up the way these kids did today is amazing.”
Cappaert, who was choked up after the meet, captured Division 3 individual honors by covering the 3.1-mile course in 17 minutes, 39 seconds. He was followed by Bessemer junior Zach Mazurek (17:57) and North Central freshman Seth Polfus (18:18) and sophomore Bryce Holle (18:23) on the sunny and seasonably cool day.
“This is so awesome,” said Cappaert, who was crowned Division 2 champion a year ago. “I’ve got to thank God and everyone who supported me. I couldn’t do it without them and our team. Zach really turned it on in this race. The North Central guys ran great, too. I felt a little cramping with a half-mile to go, but I knew I had to keep going. It’s quite an honor being a champion in two divisions.”
For Mazuerk, it was simply a case of trying to stay with the leaders.
“I wanted to stick with the frontrunners and pace myself off them as much as possible,” he said. “Connor had a great race. He went out and took it.”
Polfus admitted he wasn’t sure if the Jets had won right after the meet.
“I thought Pickford or Cedarville had won,” he said. “Then, we saw Mr. Root with a big smile on his face. We knew then we had won it. This is a great day for our team.”
Munising, which captured the title the past two years, didn’t field a complete team this time.
Also, the Mustangs’ ace, sophomore Brett Hannah, slipped to 10th (19:02) after winning a year ago.
Division 1
Marquette captured its first Division 1 title in three years with 42 points, followed by Escanaba 75 and Houghton 86.
Sophomore Lance Rambo led the Redmen by winning in 16:56, followed by senior teammate Cole Rieboldt (18:07) and Houghton junior David Jazsczak (17:22).
“The course was very slippery and the times were slow,” said Rambo. “The water at Mile 2 made it challenging. But the most challenging part was in the end (rolling hills leading into the finish). You just had to push through it.
“It feels real good to win as a team. Our team ran probably one of its best races of the year.”
Rieboldt set a course record (16:22) in his previous outing in the Great Northern Conference meet Oct. 10 on the Dale Fountain Memorial Cross Country Course at Banat (in western Menominee County).
“I went out too fast,” said Rieboldt, who also plays on the school’s soccer team. “This is a tough course, and I was feeling it on the hills. The water at Mile 2 was a hazard. The course was pretty chewed up by the time we got out there. The turns were slippery, too.”
Marquette coach Dale Phillips was impressed with the performance by the team’s leaders.
“It was a two-man race,” he said. “They really ran together. It was just a matter of who had more left in the end. In the majority of the meets we had this year, these guys were 1-2. This is a very, very young team. Five of the seven guys were newcomers to varsity.”
Division 2
St. Ignace was crowned Division 2 champion for the first time with 57 points.
Hancock edged Ishpeming 67-69 for its first runner-up trophy since 1990.
Ironwood junior Jared Joki dominated the race in 17:09, followed by St. Ignace’s Brad Gustafson (18:18) and Andrew Sjogren (18:23).
“I had a pretty good idea I’d have a decent lead,” said Joki, who was crowned Indianhead Conference champion Thursday at neighboring Hurley, Wis., “although, I was mildly surprised by the margin of victory. I tried to follow a conservative approach. I ran a moderate race at the conference meet, so it didn’t affect me too much today. I really like this course and the atmosphere of being at the Finals.”
PHOTO: Runners compete for position early in Saturday's Upper Peninsula Division 3 Final. (Photo courtesy of RunMichigan.com/Paul Gerard.)