Neither Sun Nor Slush Slows Marquette
February 26, 2018
By Keith Dunlap
Special for Second Half
BOYNE FALLS – Nothing else has stopped the Marquette boys ski team from dominating the state the past five years
So Mother Nature did its best Monday at the MHSAA Division 1 Finals.
However, not even unseasonable conditions slowed down the Redmen.
For the sixth straight year, Marquette finished the season as a champion in boys skiing following another dominant performance on a warm day at Boyne Mountain that wreaked havoc on a field not used to such mild and slushy conditions for a Finals meet.
Marquette finished with 56 points to once again best Traverse City Central, which was the runner-up for the fifth straight year with 80.5 points.
Rochester Adams/Stoney Creek’s combined team was third with 124.5 points, White Lake Lakeland was fourth with 153 and Brighton took fifth with 158.5 points.
Marquette coach Dan Menze said conditions were firm for the morning runs, but he had to tell his team to use caution when the warmth and sun softened the courses up considerably in the afternoon.
“Definitely in the afternoon, I had to let them know to be soft on their edges,” Menze said. “No hard pressures because as soon as you do in the soft stuff it’s going to eat you up. But they’ve had the opportunity the last couple of weeks in training to see different snow types, so they were a little used to it.”
Marquette started the day by dominating the morning slalom run, taking the top three places in that event.
Aaron Grzelak won with time of 57.96, Andrew Thomas was second at 58.97 and Hayden Kauppila came in third at 1:00.57.
James Wenzloff of Lakeland was fourth with a time of 1:00.64, and Max Wiedemann of Clarkston was fifth at 1:01.56.
Marquette wasn’t quite as dominant in the giant slalom when the afternoon arrived, but it was still good enough to score plenty of points.
Thomas was second at 1:05.17, Grzelak was fourth at 1:06.89 and Kauppila finished fifth with a time of 1:07.22.
Of the bunch, the only senior is Thomas, and he leaves with MHSAA team titles for every year of his high school career.
“It was surreal when we won the first one,” Thomas said. “Before you know it, I’m already a senior. I just got really lucky to be on teams that had awesome skiers every year.”
Nick Rupert of Rockford won the individual championship in the giant slalom with a time of 1:04.67, while Wenzloff took third with a time of 1:06.42.
PHOTOS: (Top) Marquette's Aaron Grzelak races toward a first-place finish in slalom Monday. (Middle) Rockford's Nick Rupert cuts through a turn during the giant slalom. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Dehlin Closes Marquette Ski Career Celebrating Team Title with Individual Sweep
By
Nick Cooper
Special for MHSAA.com
March 13, 2025
MARQUETTE – Few high school athletes have gotten as comfortable on the MHSAA Finals medal stand as Sam Dehlin.
The Marquette senior and was crowned Division 1 champion in both the slalom and giant slalom Feb. 24 at Nub’s Nob.
“There really isn't a ceiling to how good you can be at something. It's just the amount of effort you're willing to put in,” Dehlin said.
The driven Dehlin repeated in the slalom, blazing the slopes at a combined 70.16 seconds. Dehlin’s giant slalom first place was his first championship in that event.
His performance also helped Marquette secure its first team championship since 2020.
“I think being part of a team is a really good motivator because you're not just training to make yourself better, but to support your team,” said Dehlin.
With all that Dehlin achieved throughout his career, he cites narrowing his focus as a key factor in his success.
“You can’t view everything in one big lens because then it looks pretty daunting,” Dehlin said. “But if you break it down (into) small parts it’s a lot easier to manage.”
The Marquette slope star also has dominated north of the Mackinac Bridge as he has been the Upper Peninsula skiing champion as well the last three seasons.
Dehlin also credited being in the right headspace as an important contributor to his achievements.
“If you can get a smile on your face and get excited for (skiing), I found that I ski a lot better,” said Dehlin.
He also believes a major reason for his individual success was the totality of his team's efforts.
“The importance of having good teammates that push each other to be better is what led to our team success this year,” Dehlin said. “Having a good group of guys that are all pushing each other to be better helps everybody individually and also as a team.”
As Dehlin’s high school career comes to an end, he plans to join a collegiate ski team or club but will focus on something other than athletics.
“I’m going to focus on academics, and I still want skiing to be part of my life,” Dehlin said, “but I don't necessarily want it to be like all of my life.”
PHOTOS (Top) Marquette’s Sam Dehlin passes a gate during the Division 1 Ski Finals on Feb. 24 at Nub’s Nob. (Middle) Dehlin, right, receives his second medal of the day after sweeping event championships. (Click for more by Tori Burley.)