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Area runners claim all-state at cross country state finals; two teams earn top five

drew kochanny, the petoskey news-review
·6 min read

BROOKLYN — One final run.

What every high school cross country runner in the state strives for came Saturday, where a season full of training and exhausting days boiled down to a final 20 minutes at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

Runners from throughout Emmet and Charlevoix counties took part in races from Division 2 to Division 4, with a host of athletes picking up all-state status.

The area also had the Petoskey St. Michael boys team earn a fourth place finish in Division 4 as well as a fifth place finish for the Harbor Springs girls.

Petoskey's Nora O'Leary continued her big season on the course at the Division 2 state finals, pulling in an all-state season with a 16th place finish.
Petoskey's Nora O'Leary continued her big season on the course at the Division 2 state finals, pulling in an all-state season with a 16th place finish.

DIVISION 2 

While there’s certainly been better team performances for Petoskey’s teams at the Division 2 state championships of late, this year’s group put in some impressive times.

Petoskey’s boys placed 14th overall and the girls then followed with a 19th place finish.

The most impressive finish of the day came as Petoskey’s Nora O’Leary, who finished in 16th place in 18 minutes, 28.7 seconds, earning her all-state status.

“I saw her at a mile and a half and she was in 26th and got into 17th by the second mile and held on through the finish,” Petoskey coach Dave Farley said. “She shaved 21 seconds off her (personal record). Nora has worked really hard, has bought in 100 percent since she was a freshman and has been steady in her growth.”

On the boys side, another senior led the way, as Shane Izzard placed 47th in 16:15.2. Places were spread out from there, though Farley was proud of everyone who came across the line, many within just seconds of a PR.

“You could not ask for better group of young men to hang your hat on,” said Farley. “We were not too far behind Gladwin at regionals, on what I thought was an off day for us, and we they ended up 5th and we were 14th. The place stung a bit, but when I looked under the hood, five of our guys were pretty close to PRs.”

Petoskey's Shane Izzard wrapped up a standout career of leading the Northmen boys team, finishing in 47th at the Division 2 state championships.
Petoskey's Shane Izzard wrapped up a standout career of leading the Northmen boys team, finishing in 47th at the Division 2 state championships.

Both Petoskey teams were loaded with veteran talent, many of which Farley knows were leaders on and off the course.

“We are graduating a ton of athletes that have not only been important in the results, they were real leaders on the team,” added Farley. “The boys are losing five of our top seven and the girls lose four of their top seven. Both team have had seniors that have been pillars of the team for four years. The program will miss them immensely. I will miss them immensely. They made my job so easy.”

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DIVISION 4 

The two area squads that had eyes on a potential state championship at the Division 4 level put in as good of an effort as anyone.

Petoskey St. Michael’s boys were just 11 points off from a runner-up finish, while the Harbor Springs girls had a fifth place finish to be proud of.

For St. Michael, a program built up just a handful of years ago, it came as a fifth consecutive top 10 finish in Division 4 and third top five finish.

“What a finish we’ve had,” Petoskey St. Michael coach Larry Rudnicki said. “After a disappointing race at Portage a month ago, we surely weren’t giving up – but I didn’t foresee these results at regional and state. I can’t believe we missed the podium by just 10 points.”

Petoskey St. Michael runner Lynus Cadarette pulled in a 19th place finish at the Division 2 state finals, earning him all-state for the season.
Petoskey St. Michael runner Lynus Cadarette pulled in a 19th place finish at the Division 2 state finals, earning him all-state for the season.

On the boys side for St. Michael, Lynus Cadarette placed 19th (16:42) and Cody Bradley was 21st (16:42), giving them both all-state status. They were also the fastest times ever run by Guardians at the finals.

On the girls side, Jane Manthei led the Guardians with an all-state 10th place (19:26) finish.

“Jane’s climb through the increasingly difficult ranks of D4 ladies, from 78th as a freshman, to 40th as a sophomore, to 10th this season is the result of her dedication and perseverance through adversity,’ said Rudnicki. “Her presence and example is a continuous blessing for our program. I’m extremely proud of Jane – and also of our entire ladies team.”

For Harbor Springs’ girls, freshman Stefi Reskevics also earned an all-state season in 16th (19:34) and Juniper Rodham placed 24th (19:48).

FULL AREA RESULTS 

Division 2 

Petoskey Boys: Shane Izzard (47, 16:15); Tommy Farley (62, 16:25); Brady Odenbach (121, 16:58); Jack Lindwall (128, 17:04); Zahar Rush (139, 17:13); Parker Fettig (171, 17:34); Dylan Odenbach (190, 17:49).

Petoskey Girls: Nora O’Leary (16, 18:28); Ava Pawlick (66, 19:30); CamBrie Corey (148, 20:38); Sydney Hoffman (216, 22:09); Lauren Cole (228, 22:27); Greta Meisel (231, 22:34); Madeline Pacola (240, 23:11).

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Division 3 

Charlevoix Boys: Hunter Eaton (42, 16:45); Ryder Hopkins (117, 17:31); Matthew Solomon (124, 17:35); Jacob Veurink (127, 17:36); David Dhaseleer (171, 18:11); Peyton Scott (229, 19:33); Trevor Bonar (249, 20:30).

Charlevoix Girls: Katie Rohrer (164, 21:53).

Boyne City Boys: Isaac Dionne (146, 17:50).

Boyne City Girls: Delaney Little (99, 20:52).

Petoskey St. Michael runner and Harbor Light Christian student Jane Manthei earned all-state with a 10th place finish at the Division 4 finals.
Petoskey St. Michael runner and Harbor Light Christian student Jane Manthei earned all-state with a 10th place finish at the Division 4 finals.

Division 4

Petoskey St. Michael Boys: Lynus Cadarette (16:42); Cody Bradley (21, 16:42); Russell Vandermus (56, 17:30); Atticus Cadarette (73, 17:42); David Chamberlin (142, 18:34); Ronan Weed (236, 21:16); Elijah Pulver (249, 24:28).

Petoskey St. Michael Girls: Jane Manthei (10, 19:26); Veronica Paga (136, 22:02); Kate Schlueter (197, 23:49); Adelaide Kolka (26:17); Ella Nolan (233, 26:47); Catherine Hayes (242, 31:09).

Harbor Springs Boys: Adam Ferguson (63, 17:37); Trevor Clarke (65, 17:37); Teddy Krieger (70, 17:39); Max Vroman (82, 17:49); Logan Kihnke (89, 17:55); Henry Kruzel (94, 17:57); Everett Baetens (235, 21:15).

Harbor Springs Girls: Stefi Reskevics (16, 19:34); Juniper Rodham (24, 19:48); Genevieve Rodham (87, 21:21); Fran Warren (88, 21:22); Julia Clarke (93, 21:28); McKenzie Bowman (122, 21:56); Grace Hayhurst (155, 22:30).

Harbor Springs' Juniper Rodham earned all-state status on her junior season after a 24th place finish at the Division 4 state finals.
Harbor Springs' Juniper Rodham earned all-state status on her junior season after a 24th place finish at the Division 4 state finals.

East Jordan Boys: Austin Sneed (61, 17:36); Jacob Chamberlain (127, 18:20).

East Jordan Girls: Elke Knauf (105, 21:42).

Inland Lakes Girls: Elizabeth Furman (63, 20:54).

Contact Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Cross country finals close with Northern Michigan runners earning all-state