Sault cross country teams show out at U.P. Finals
GLADSTONE — When the fall sports seasons began, Sault cross country coach Jim Martin wasn't really sure what kind of team he was going to have.
Neither the boys nor the girls had many experienced varsity runners coming back, which doesn't usually bode well.
All season though, this group of runners exceeded expectations and overcame setbacks, obstacles, and injuries while running their way to their 12th straight Straits Area Conference championships.
The Blue Devils capped off their season by running in the Upper Peninsula Finals on Saturday at the Farmhouse Cross Country Course. The boys finished second in Division 1 with a total of 83 points, while the girls placed third with 104 points. Marquette won both the boy's and girl's races.
“This was just one of those years,” Martin said of his teams. “There were lots of injuries, but things ended the right way. We got as healthy as we could and then the kids just ran out of their minds.
Gabe Litzner ran the fastest time of the day, recording a time of 16:41.55, a full seven seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
“I mean, this kid is a freshman,” Martin said of Litzner. “I don't know that what he did has ever been done before in Division 1. He ran a really great race.”
Litzner was not the only Sault runner to have a great race. The coach also had high praise for Cody Aldridge, who burst to the front of the pack at the beginning of the race.
“He and one of the better Marquette runners really started out fast and got out to the front,” Martin said. The Marquette kid ended up finishing 20-something and Cody was able to hold on and finish fifth. I think that's what allowed Gabe to finish first.”
Aldridge finished fifth with a time of 17:12.33
Eli Hills finished 24th in the race with a time of 18:58.80, while Logan Haskins was 27th in 19:20.75. Shea Armstrong placed 29th with a time of 19:23.29, while Evan Huyck was 30th in 19:26.10. Brent Maurer rounded out the Sault scoring, stopping the clock at 19:45.44.
“The boys did a great job pushing the pack in the second mile,” Martin said. “Armstrong had a personal record and I just can't say enough about the job that each of them did.”
In the girl's race, Cassandra Gallagher finished second overall with a time of 20:07.70. Calla Armstrong finished 19th in 22:27.79. Next for the Devils was Stephanie Jones, who placed 27th in 23:23.77 with Dayna Szabo finished 29th with a time of 23:43.95. Elise Proulx stopped the clock in 24:06.19 to finish 31st, and Elizabeth Martin finished 35th with a time of 24:20.63. Finishing up the scoring for the Sault was Eleanor Carey, who placed 40th in 25:12.33.
“Cassandra pushed herself so hard,” Martin said. “She ran such a good race and just refused to give anything less than her best.”
That attitude seemed to be a theme for both teams throughout the season, but rang particularly true on the girl's side. “There is a website that can project where you would probably finish in the finals based on what you've done so far,” Martin said. “I checked that for our girls at the beginning of September and we were projected to finish ninth out of 10 teams in our division. So I think it's safe to say that this team has come a long way. This was our best finish in four years.”
The finish may have been even better, but Abby Walther, one of the Sault's top runners was unable to run, due to an injury suffered earlier in the season
“I was just heartbroken for her,” Martin said. “But she showed what a good teammate she is and made the trip with us and cheered on her team.”
The boys and the girls will each lose two seniors this year, and are going into next year as a young team once again.
“We will only be young on paper,” Martin said of his team. “Good teams don't rebuild, they reload, and that's the mindset that our kids have.”
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Sault cross country teams show out at U.P. Finals
