By Scott Lucking
Beacon Correspondent
On a perfect day for cross country running, the Munising Mustangs hosted the U.P. Finals last Saturday. The course was in excellent condition as teams from across the Upper Peninsula converged at Pictured Rocks Golf Course to contest the last event of the season.
Munising was up against the Division 2 pre-race favorites for the boys title — Painesdale-Jeffers and Rudyard — while Hancock and Rudyard were favorites for the girls. The Division 3 contenders for Superior Central in the boys race were Forest Park and St. Ignace. On the girls side, it was L’Anse and Ewen-Trout Creek. The predictions did not disappoint.
Addie Bowerman of Munising ran the race of her life, finishing second, just 2 seconds out of first place. With 100 meters to go, she was in third place, ran down one competitor and nearly caught the winner from Rudyard. In addition to her second-place finish, she also ran a personal best time.
Munising senior Olivia Cotey closed out her cross country career with a solid 10th-place podium finish, and Zoey Kidd came in 21st. Rudyard edged out Hancock by four points to earn the Division 2 title.
In the boys race, the Mustangs didn’t have their best day but still managed to come home with a third-place finish. Blake Lakosky finished in the top 10, crossing the line in ninth place. Dylan Krause was second on the team, capturing 21st place.
The next three Mustangs finished in a pack with Ben Dryke in 30th, Dylan Adkinson in 32nd and Nolan Dolaskie in 33rd. Bryce Kevern rounded out the team in 47th. Painesdale-Jeffers won its third Division 2 title in a row with Rudyard coming in second.
“Of our nine varsity runners, three made the medal podium,” head coach Bob Wing said. “Overall, we did what we were projected to do. It’s been a fun season, and I couldn’t be happier or more proud of our outstanding athletes. They were just awesome.”
Wing also acknowledged the seniors and supporters.
“A special shoutout to our two seniors, Olivia Cotey and Dylan Adkinson, who had their last race today,” he said. “They will be greatly missed by me and their teammates. And one last shoutout to the many volunteers who helped make the U.P. Finals a success. This is a huge meet, and it takes a lot of people to help out with it, so thank you.”
Superior Central competed in the Division 3 Finals. The SC girls were led by Kendra Pederson, who raced to a 29th-place finish. She was followed by Meredith Kempker in 49th and Kiera McDonnald in 50th. Emma Stoliecki in 65th, Aiyana Taskey in 74th and Amelia Tissue in 78th completed the six-person team. The team placed ninth overall. L’Anse won the team title with Ewen-Trout Creek grabbing second.
Seniors Cole Ozoga and Cody Moore finished 1-2 for the Cougar boys. Ozoga placed 25th with Moore right behind in 27th. Jack Kasten was next, placing 42nd, with Carter Korpi following in 50th. The balance of the seven-man team was comprised of Gavin Stebelton in 57th, Isaac Gleason in 80th and Joseph Augustyn in 84th. For their efforts, the boys finished in seventh place. Forest Park lived up to its pre-race ranking by taking first place over St. Ignace.
In Division 1, Marquette captured the boys and girls team titles.