The Glen Lake cooperative ski team competed in the MHSAA Division 2 regional championships held at Crystal Mountain on Monday.
The Lakers had two competitors advance to the MHSAA state championship race hosted at Nubs Nob in Petoskey on Monday, February 26.
Leland sophomore Willa Murray finished ninth in both slalom and giant slalom (GS) to claim her spot in the state championships.
“It’s a really big accomplishment for me to be able to go to states considering where I was last year, it was pretty far off from this year,” she said. “I’m happy with the improvements I’ve made throughout the season, especially considering the conditions.”
Murray finished ninth in GS with a two-run combined time of 45.48 (23.91, 21.57), and ninth in slalom 57.84 (29.02, 28.82). Murray knew she had to pick up the pace in her second GS run after she was cautious in the first.
“I wasn’t nervous, I just had to go for it … a lot of it for me is the mentality and you have to trust that you can ski it the way you know how to, but it’s what you’re thinking mentally that really will help you,” she said.
Murray adds a state finals appearance after dominating the Lake Michigan Conference Championships last week where she finished second overall for the season, and won both slalom and GS during the conference championship race last Friday, Feb. 9.
“I don’t like to think too much about where I place and more just about what I’m doing and encouraging other people on the team,” Murray said after the conference championship race last week. “I’m gonna have to focus on skiing the way that I know how to ski and I have been skiing throughout the season. I’m not going to worry about how the snow is and I’m just going to worry about putting it together and continuing to ski the way I have been and making the improvements that I have done.”
Glen Lake coach John Kasben says Murray has “flipped a switch” in the past couple of weeks and began showing her best skiing heading into the regional competition.
For the boys, Colin Kasben qualified for the state meet in thrilling fashion. Kasben earned the last spot in the state championship by one point. He finished 13th in both GS and slalom, making the cut to compete in the GS state competition.
Kasben finished with a combined time of 47.27 (22.25, 25.02) in GS, and 58.83 (29.09, 29.74) in slalom.
“I was surprised that I made it in 13th place. I was hoping for top-10, but I scrubbed a couple of turns which slowed me down,” he said. “I was pretty mad after my first couple runs just because I didn’t think I had a chance.”
Kasben and Murray will both be competing in the state competition for the first time.
“I know that our region was the hardest. States … I’m hoping just to do well and see what I can do against the rest of the state,” Kasben said. ”It’s a goal that I’ve always had to be able to go to the top level and it feels like the work has actually paid off. I’m going to have a good two weeks of practice and do well at the Caledonia invite and give me some confidence to go into States.”
Murray and Kasben weren’t the only Lakers to shine at Crystal Mountain on Monday. Lake Leelanau St. Mary junior Jacqueline Hearne raced to a 43rd finish in GS with a combined time of 50.09.
“It was really fun and finally got good snow to ski on. (The snow) set well overnight and it was, the courses were good and then the sun came out, so it was a good day,” Hearne said. “My favorite part was when I got to be on the GS course because that’s my favorite course to run and it was really fast and smooth.”
Another Eagle, senior Elena Grant, finished 49th in GS and 51st in slalom with times of 54.19 and 1:22.
“I was happy with all my runs afterwards so that was important, especially my GS runs. I think those were one of the best ones I’ve ever done,” Grant said.
Glen Lake sophomore Lexi Alysworth finished 66th in GS and 58th in slalom with times of 1:03.45 and 1:37.41.
On the boys side, Hawthorne Sutherland and Justin Tompson provided an anchor in slalom with times of 49.51 and 49.81. Bryce Cundiff, Porter Martin, and Jaiden Thompson also added impressive finishes with times of 54.68, 54.68, 1:17.25.
In slalom, Justin Thompson finished 16th, just shy of the state meet with a time of 59.53. Sutherland finished 31st, followed by Bryce Cundiff, Porter Martin, and Jaiden Thompson.
Girls Team results:
Harbor Springs, Norway, GNA, Agylord, Petoskey, Ironwood, Houghton, Grayling, Onekama, Benzie, Lake Charlevoix, Glen Lake, Petoskey SMA.
Boy’s team results:
Harbor Springs, Petoskey, GNA, Onekama, Houghton, Grayling, Glen Lake, Benzie, Lake Charlevoix, Norway, Ironwood, Gaylord, Petoskey.
Conference championship results (men’s)
Slalom
1 Onekama Braydon Sorenson 45.03 2 Onekama Reece Tiel 46.52 3 Benzie Aiden O’Dwyer 47.71 4 Onekama Luke Smith 49.02 5 Caledonia Brayden Smith 49.05 7 Glen Lake Hawthorn Sutherland 50.80 15 Glen Lake Bryce Cundiff 55.47 17 Glen Lake Colin Kasben 56.21 28 Glen Lake Porter Martin 1:15.77
Giant Slalom
1 Onekama Braydon Sorenson 1:01.31 2 Benzie Ben Stoops 1:04.80 3 Glen Lake Hawthorn Sutherland 1:08.41 4 Caledonia David Potgeter 1:08.92 5 Caledonia Brayden Smith 7 1:10.72 19 Glen Lake Colin Kasben 1:39.94 20 Onekama Ethan Koscinski
1:45.55
21 Glen Lake Porter Martin
2:08.43
Women's results Giant Slalom
1. Glen Lake Willa Murray
46.80
2. Onekama Aleah Blackmore
46.82
3. Benzie Lilly Wolfe 49.93
4. Caledonia Mya Baldwin
53.92
5. Glen Lake Jacqueline Hearne 53.94
6. Onekama Ashlyn Blackmore
13. Glen Lake Elena Grant
59.78
18. Glen Lake Kendall McNitt
1:08.39
25. Glen Lake Lexi Aylsworth
1:13.99
Slalom
1 Glen Lake Willa Murray
1:05.51
2 Onekama Aleah Blackmore
1:06.04
3 Benzie Lilly Wolfe 1:09.30
4 Onekama Ashlyn Blackmore
1:15.08 5 Onekama Brekken Cotter 1:15.51
6 Caledonia Mya Baldwin
1:15.72
8 Glen Lake Jacqueline Hearne 1:18.29
13 Glen Lake Elena Grant
1:28.82
21 Glen Lake Kendall McNitt
2:27.57
25 Glen Lake Lexi Aylsworth
1:07.05
