Traverse City West Begins New Reign, Marquette Completes Individual Title Sweep
By
Brian Freiberger
Special for MHSAA.com
February 24, 2026
BOYNE FALLS – Despite the Marquette boys ski team taking top individual honors in giant slalom and slalom, Traverse City West filled the ranks Monday at Boyne Mountain to capture its first team Finals championship since 2023.
“All of us really came together today. We weren’t skiing as individuals. We knew what we had to do and ski to our abilities,” Traverse City West junior Dane Lewandowski said.
The Titans took back the team title from Marquette, which finished second. Traverse City Central placed third.
Marquette senior Cooper Henry took first in slalom with a two-run combined time of 61.10, leading the field by a second.
“I didn't shine super bright in GS, and I felt like I let the team down. I had a mental reset at lunch to get ready for slalom. It was always my best discipline,” Henry said. “I started to feel the pressure in the second run. I've never really been in that position before, leading first in such a big race.
“This has definitely been a goal and a dream of mine for a while. I was super happy when that happened. I love skiing with these guys. It's been a huge part of my life, and capping off my senior season with the state championship is one of the happiest moments of my life. I'm so grateful for my team, my coaches, and everything. It's been such an awesome opportunity and a great way to end it.”
Behind Henry in slalom was a stable of Traverse City West skiers finishing second, third, and fourth (Cam Lewandowski, Dane Lewandowski, and Brock Lewandowski) to help secure the team championship. Grady Ellis also had a key seventh-place finish for the Titans.
Marquette sophomore Lake Skytta took first in GS with a combined score of 75.02, narrowly edging Dane Lewandowski. Gannon Cervin of Rochester Hills Stoney Creek finished third with a time of 76.47, followed by Cameron Lewandowski and Jack Plummer of Traverse City West in third and fourth place, respectively.
“Coming into this morning, I was pretty nervous, just trying to relax. After my first run, I was pretty excited. I knew I had a good result and focused on the team aspect,” Skytta said. “This is one of our last years with this group of guys that I've been growing up with. I’m making sure to cherish these moments. … (The championship) really means a lot to me. All of the work I've put in since I was little, spending every single day at the hill for hours.”
The Titans and Marquette were followed by Traverse City Central in third, then Clarkston, Brighton, Detroit Catholic Central, Walled Lake United, Northville, and Birmingham to round out the competition.
(Click for more photos by Adam Sheehan Photography.)
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.)