Sault High’s Gabe Litzner not only won the Division 1 UP Finals for the third year in a row; he set the all-class and division record, with a 15:14.4 finish. The previous record was 15:49 set in 2016. He led his team to a runner up finish overall against a very strong Marquette team. When asked about his performance, Litzner replied “It felt very good. I’ve had my mind set on the record for the last 2 years. I’m very excited to win 3 because it sets me up perfectly to win 4 in a row and join an elite group.”
Shea Armstrong (16:22.9) placed eighth on the day. Eli Hills (17:24.3), Daniel Bowerman (17:37.4), Chase Aldridge (17:56.3), Adam Brandt (18:22) and Ian Southwell (19:04.3) rounded out the runner up squad.
The girls placed fourth, following Marquette, Houghton and Negaunee. Stephanie Jones (21:23.8) and Isabelle McCord (21:29.8) were the top two finishers for their team. Regan Sporte (22:34.4), Isabeau Woodard (23:06), Addyson Labadie (24:27.1), Eleanor Carey (25:09.3), and Elise Proulx (25:15.9) represented well in this last race of the season.
Head Coach Jim Martin commented on his teams’ finishes. “The boys ran great. Even without runner #3 (Evan Huyck) we were as close to Marquette as we’ve been. Marquette’s team is arguably the best team EVER in the UP. This was our best team in 20 years yet we didn’t really put much of a dent in their lead, we got 9 points closer. Gabe ran the fastest time ever in the UP. But the next six kids, all from Marquette, ran the 2nd-7th fastest races ever in UP history. Daniel and Shea ran exceptionally well. Eli, Chase, Ian and Adam ran very well too.”
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