Double State Champions!
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Launch the media gallery 1 player - media #3WHAT A DAY! The State Final Cross Country Meet at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday was an incredible event for the Beal City Aggies. The boys’ team entered the day ranked fourth and a decided underdog to both Concord and defending Division 4 Champion Saugatuck while the Lady Aggies, themselves defending champs, were third ranked after trailing Kalamazoo Hackett all year and finishing second to Sacred Heart at Regionals. But, when all was said and done, both teams headed home as 2014 MHSAA Division 4 State Champions!
The Aggie boys competed in the first race of the day and faced cold, windy conditions coming off the line. Nothing was going to stop this senior led group from laying down a great race, though, and they ended up posting the best team time in school history as four ran lifetime bests and another had a season best just one second off his lifetime. Nick Pung set a new School Record of 16:19.3 as he placed third, the best State Meet finish in school history. Ethan Schafer joined Nick in the top-10 with a lifetime best 16:33.9 for seventh. The top-30 finishes earned All-State recognition for both, the second straight for Ethan and a rare fourth for Nick. David Reihl missed by just nine spots as he finished 39th in a lifetime best 17:28.9. Seniors James Kolb (17:37.3, 51st) and Brendan Carrick (17:44.9, 59th) both closed out their careers with lifetime best performances to round out the Beal City scoring at 105, just four better than runner-up and 2013 champions Saugatuck. Zach Bellinger, despite being hampered by a badly timed sinus infection, was within thirteen seconds of his lifetime best, at Regionals last week, in 18:20.0 and Apollo Schafer ran a season best 18:36.6. Since finishing 7th at last year’s Finals, the Aggie boys have trained with the mantra #triplecrown2K14. The first Highland Conference Championship, Regional Championship, and State Championship in program history complete their campaign! TRIPLE CROWN!
After learning of the boys’ victory, the Lady Aggies toed the line, just as the sun broke through the clouds, determined not to be outdone. The girls also delivered the best team time in program history as three ran lifetime bests and Hannah Steffke took nearly thirty seconds off her best in what has been an injury compromised season. Emily Steffke led the way as she posted the best finish in Lady Aggie history, 5th, in a lifetime best 19:15.0. Hannah was close behind in sixth as she was within ten seconds of her lifetime best at 19:26.0. In a reprise of her sister Hannah’s 2013 State Meet performance, Hayley Neyer took over thirty seconds off her lifetime best to join Emily and Hannah on the All-State podium in 27th at 20:17.7. It was the first All-State honor for Hayley, the third for Hannah, and Emily joined Nick to post All-State finishes all four years of her career, an extremely rare and difficult achievement. Freshman Madeline Steffke, at 20:40.6, was next across for the team as she took seventeen seconds off her debut season/lifetime best for 41st and Ariel Salter put all five scorers in the top-55 at 20:55.4. Less than three weeks removed from surgery, Brenda Faber missed her season best by just 1.4 seconds at 21:41.1 and Rachel Schwerin bravely/painfully finished her senior season within :25 of her season best at 24:36.2. The result: a second straight Division 4 State Championship as the team posted 94 points, 14 better than runner-up Hackett at 108 and 36 ahead of Sacred Heart in third. BACK TO BACK!
AGGIE ACCOMPLISHMENT!