Marshall High School

The Marshall HS Cross Country team started off the week on Tuesday with their first I-8 meet of the year hosted by Harper Creek. Both teams were short a few runners due to injury or illness. The mens team finished fourth with Austen Ruppel (13th), Caylor Elsesser (15th), Aiden Vance (24th), Maxwell Romeri (36th), Owen Hanson (37th), Jacob Spaulding (46thy), Remy Hall (58th), Luke Frye (59th), Blake Mannes (66th) competing for the Redhawks. Although the Ladyhawks didn't have enough runners for a team score, the women competed well with Alaina Dillon (5th), Nadia Smyczek (15th), Ellery Fazekas (20th), and Hailey McKinlay (23rd) representing Marshall on the course. Both teams then traveled to Davisburg for the 58th Annual Holly-Duane Raffin Festival of Races on Saturday morning. The varsity girls were up first for Marshall and were lucky to hit the course before the heavy rains started. The girls ran well with all runners hitting their season best marks. Alaina Dillon brought home the 11th place medal and was followed by Ellery Fazekas (37th), Hailey McKinlay (53rd), Nadia Smyczek (54th), Gianna DeCola (66th), and Aaliyah Johnson (79th). Luke Frye and Remy Hall were up next and both set personal bests (PBs) in the JV mens race. And then the heavy rains began but that didn't stop the varsity men from competing. The men encountered rain, standing water, mud, and slippery conditions but all managed to finish uninjured and with good stories to tell. The team was glad to have Abraham McHugh back from illness as he placed 4th with Caylor Elsesser joining him on the medal stand with a PB and 35th place finish. Austin Ruppel (45th), Maxwell Romeri (78th), Owen Hanson (79th), Aiden Vance (80th), and Jacob Spaulding (81st) finished the scoring for Marshall. The team has a couple of days to dry out before competing in Parchment on Wednesday.