St Ignace Girls Take Back Top Spot

By John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com

October 25, 2020

The St. Ignace girls won for the first time in three years, squeezing past two-time reigning champion Hancock 53-54.

The Saints had finished runners-up to Hancock the last two seasons, finishing 22 points back in 2019 and 36 in 2018. 

St. Ignace’s five runners all crossed among the top 16 individuals. Hancock crossed three of the top eight.

Third-place Ironwood had 73 points. Ironwood junior Aundrea Stengard gained top individual honors at 23:28.1, followed by Ishpeming freshman Lola Korpi (23:42.9), Hancock sophomore Maylie Kilpela (25:10.5), St. Ignace freshman Wisteria Brady (25:13.7) and Hancock junior Sierrah Driscoll (25:25.8).

"I just wanted to stay with her and then maybe get a lead at the end, which is kind've what I did," Stengard said of running with Korpi. "For the first two miles I ran with her, and then the third mile I managed to get a little lead. 

"Some spots were slippery, so I struggled a little with that. But otherwise it went pretty well."

She added that running in the snow definitely made for a more difficult race, and the times showed it. But sun or snow, the opportunity to compete was worth it.

"It was just so different from normal years, with all the corona(virus) stuff and everything, and the snow, it was just really different," Stengard said. "But I'm glad we got to have a season overall." 

Click for full results.

PHOTOS: Ironwood’s Aundrea Stengard takes the final paces of her championship-winning race Saturday at George Young Recreational Complex. (Below) St. Ignace claimed its first Finals championship since 2017. (Photos by Theresa Proudfit.)

Be the Referee: Cross Country Uniforms

By Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator

September 10, 2024

Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Below is this week's segment – Cross Country Uniforms - Listen

Today we’re talking roster sizes and uniforms in cross country.

In the regular season, a school can enter a maximum of 12 competitors, and the top seven contribute to the school’s score. In the postseason, schools can enter a max of seven runners, with the top five contributing to the team score.

In the past, all members of a team had to wear identical uniforms. But that’s no longer the case. Now, each runner must wear a uniform that clearly indicates their team through the use of their predominant school colors, school logo, or nickname. They don’t have to be identical – but the school they are representing must be obvious, and it must be clear who your teammates are.

Something to think about the next time you are getting ready to run 3.1 miles.

Previous 2024-25 Editions

Sept. 3: Soccer Handling - Listen
Aug. 24: Football Holding - Listen

PHOTO Newberry's Samantha Taylor (321) and Abby Taylor (320) lead the beginning of the Wildcat Invite last month at Northern Michigan University, with Samantha eventually finishing first and Abby third. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)