St. Johns' Smith Finishes Final Pursuit
November 1, 2014
By Bill Khan
Special for Second Half
BROOKLYN — Karrigan Smith of St. Johns had been closing the gap on Kenzie Weiler of Cedar Springs the past three years.
Smith finally caught her and passed her Saturday to win the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 2 cross country championship at Michigan International Speedway.
Smith won a kick to the finish to edge Weiler by 2.5 seconds, posting a time of 18:11.0. Weiler, the defending champion, took second for the third time in her career in 18:13.5.
"Kenzie is a really great competitor," Smith said. "I wasn't confident I would win until I crossed the pads at the end. I can't even describe it. It's so unreal right now. I know this state title means so much to me, my team and my community. They've been behind me the whole time through this whole process. I can't think of a better way to end my senior season."
It was a process that began Smith's freshman year when she placed seventh in the MHSAA Final in 18:23.0, 48.9 seconds behind second-place Weiler.
Smith dropped to 17th place in 18:30.0 the following year, but cut the margin between her and Weiler to 40.9 seconds.
The big jump came last year when Smith took third in 18:04.0, just 8.9 seconds behind Weiler.
Smith came to MIS on Saturday believing it could be her day.
"I definitely trained my mind to think that," Smith said. "Running is such a mental sport. You have to believe what you can truly do. Today it happened for me. You really have to believe it."
Smith ran second behind Weiler for most of the race, using her rival to block some of the heavy wind.
"Going into the race and seeing the conditions, I knew I was going to need some help from the lead pack to get me through the race," Smith said.
Morgan Posthuma of Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern was third in 18:24.4.
Grand Rapids Christian added to its dynasty status, winning its fifth championship in the last 10 years by outscoring runner-up Otsego by an 87-145 margin. The Eagles have finished in the top five the last 13 years.
Christian's only graduation loss from 2013 was its No. 7 runner. Although the top six returned, three newcomers cracked the lineup Saturday. The Eagles had three runners in the top 10 among team runners, with Claire Brouwer taking sixth (18:52.6), Lindsey Fox ninth (18:59.1) and Rachel Warners 10th (19:00.8). Completing the scoring were Michelle Koetje (26th, 19:27.0) and Megan Schenkel (36th, 19:39.6).
Otsego's Megan Aalberts was third among team runners in 18:34.5, but her team’s No. 2 runner didn't cross until 27th place. Second place is the best finish in school history, eclipsing last year's third-place showing.
PHOTOS: (Top) St. Johns’ Karrigan Smith holds off Cedar Springs’ Kenzie Weiler during the final stretch of Saturday’s Division 2 race. (Below) Otsego’s Megan Aalberts works to stay ahead of Spring Lake’s Erin O’Keefe as they race for fourth place; Aalberts held on to help her team to its best Finals finish. (Click to see more from RunMichigan.com.)
Marquette, L'Anse Girls Extend Title Streaks, Munising Returns to Top Spot
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
October 25, 2026
HOUGHTON — The Marquette girls cross country team continued its winning ways Saturday, earning a fifth-straight Upper Peninsula Division 1 Finals title with 49 points at Michigan Tech.
The Sentinels were followed closely by Houghton with 55 points, Sault Ste. Marie with 67 and Negaunee with 83. Marquette freshman Charlotte Jones was crowned individual champion by covering the 3.1-mile course in 19 minutes, 42.4 seconds.
“It’s the mental aspect of it, keeping positive thoughts and pushing through the pain,” she said. “It was just a matter of passing the other girls. I was sixth after the first mile and third after the second. It was really hot in the sun. Houghton is pretty good. It’s a little more satisfying winning when it’s close. I’m just proud of our team.”
Marquette coach Kyle Detmers was naturally pleased with the team’s performance.
“We knew it’d be a battle,” he said. “We had a game plan. Charlotte ran a great race and I want to give a shout-out to Evelyn Grant and to Houghton for hosting the meet. They have a great venue. Emma Ziegler and Ava Cantway and the rest of our girls also had great races.”
Ziegler, a sophomore, finished sixth individually, while Cantway – also a sophomore – placed ninth. Sophomore Amira Perrier placed 13th, senior Eryn Veverka rounded out the scoring in 20th and sophomore Sophie Coxon was right there as well placing 21st.
Kingsford junior Maria Murvich placed second at 20:02.8, and Negaunee freshman Julia Plaxco was third (20:11.6).
“My time wasn’t super-fast,” Murvich said. “The heat didn’t help, although Charlotte definitely ran a great race. I have another year. I definitely want to take another shot at it. This is certainly a motivator. This will get me to work a little harder and put in more miles.”
Division 2
Munising captured its first Finals title in four years, taking top honors in Division 2 with 48 points. The Mustangs, who were crowned Division 3 champions in 2022, were followed by last year’s Division 2 champion Rudyard with 57 points and Painesdale Jeffers with 69.
“It’s awesome,” Munising coach Bob Hill said. “This is a young team which battled injuries all year. Our depth is huge. Hats off to the other teams that pushed us all year. The journey was a blast.”
Newberry senior Abby Taylor gained her first U.P. Finals individual title in 20:16.1, and sophomore teammate Molly McNamara was runner-up at 20:29.3.
Taylor had finished second as a sophomore and third as both a freshman and junior.
“It’s super exciting,” Taylor said. “I felt I had a pretty good chance, and I’m happy about Molly taking second. This is probably the toughest course I ran on. I wanted to go out conservatively and save it for the next two miles. My finish wasn’t the best. The hills toward the end were tough. Those took a lot out of me.”
McNamara said she was feeling a little under the weather.
“I definitely didn’t feel the best,” she added. “My feet were pretty sore, and it got a little hot out there. My goal was to get under 20 (minutes). Although, it’s a good course. There were a lot of long hills. I had a pretty good season overall. I’m really excited for track next spring.”
Munising freshman Emma Conklin placed third (21:15.1), and junior Addie Bowerman was seventh (21:56) to lead the team title charge. Freshman Edon Kidd (14th) and juniors Maya Weiss (15th) and Zoey Kidd (17th) rounded out the scoring.
“It’s so cool to win as a team,” Bowerman said. “This is what we worked for all year. To go home with the championship trophy is so awesome. Emma ran a great race. Everybody did her best, which is all you can ask for.”
Division 3
L’Anse retained its Division 3 title with 38 points, followed by Ewen-Trout Creek with 74 and Rapid River with 82.
Juniors Lily Froese (seventh), Kwynn Voskuhl (ninth) and Princess Pierre (10th) led a balanced championship lineup, with senior Tessa Thor (13th) and junior Aaliha Maki (17th) right behind him.
“One of our keys to success is the athletes held each other accountable,” L’Anse coach Erin DiCarlo said. “This is a tight-knit group. This is also huge for our program. It helps other kids when they see the success. It was good for us to run against Houghton. They’re the only team to beat us all year. They made us better.”
Eben Junction Superior Central freshman Edye Burdett was the individual winner in 19:55. She was followed by E-TC senior Bree Besonen (20:46.7) and Crystal Falls Forest Park freshman Ellie Zaupa (21:59).
“I’m super happy with how everything went today,” Burdett said. “I was hoping to run with Charlotte (Jones). I was very, very fortunate with the results. This is certainly a motivator.”
PHOTOS (Top) Runners take off at the start of the Upper Peninsula Division 1 Final on Saturday on the Michigan Tech Nordic Ski Trails. (Middle) Runners begin to separate during the first portion of the Division 2 race. (Below) Ewen-Trout Creek's Bree Besonen (290) and Eben Junction Superior Central's Edye Burdett (269) lead the Division 3 Final. (Photos by Cara Kamps/RunMichigan.com.)