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BANAT -- A late surge made a difference for Rock Mid Peninsula sophomore Ashdeyn Gerow here Wednesday as he earned top honors in the Dale Fountain (Stephenson) Invitational cross country meet.
Gerow covered the 3.1-mile course in 18 minutes, 8.5 seconds. He was followed by Kingsford senior Cavan Mulligan at 18:30.3 and Menominee freshman Bradley Klann (18:33.7).
"This meet was definitely the toughest," Gerow said. "There was a lot of anxiety and I had kind of a negative feeling before the meet, which is something I normally don't do. I was in kind of a freefall on the last downhill. I just kept pushing. This is definitely a relief. I was second in the first mile, then we kind of went back and forth. After two miles I got more comfortable."
Florence-Niagara, Wis. was crowned champion with 33 points. Mid Pen was runner-up at 78 and third-place Marinette had 85.
The Marinette girls edged Kingsford 33-37 for the title. Menominee took third with 56 points.
"The girls did great," Marinette coach Jenni Campbell said. "We were missing a couple girls, but still tried to run as a pack. I'd say this was one of our better performances. We're starting to find our groove."
Kingsford junior Maria Murvich topped the field at 21:05.9. She was followed by Menominee senior Winley Brandt (22:10.6) and Escanaba sophomore Avan Akerly (22:33.6).
"I was happy with today's race," Murvich said. "I didn't know what the competition would be like. I wanted to start just fast enough to keep my pace. I definitely settled into a rhythm. The weather was perfect today. There was a little breeze. I think any win is a confidence builder. I just want to continue that habit."
The meet was run in sunny conditions with temperatures in the low 70s, much more comfortable than a year ago when the runners were greeted by temperatures near 90 and high humidity.
"It was still a little warm, but not nearly as brutal as last year," Mulligan said. "There are still some things I need to improve upon. We were together for the first two miles. He's a good runner. Hopefully, we'll have nice weather at Munising."
Brandt also enjoyed Wednesday's conditions more than a year ago on the Dale Fountain Memorial course. "It was a lot more comfortable today," she said. "I tried to keep up with Maria. She's doing really good this year. I wish my time would have been a little better, but overall it went well."
Akerly enjoyed her day as well.
"I felt good," she said. "The course is flat and the weather is nice. I took a little more conservative approach today and at 2½ miles I dialed in. I've been feeling better lately and I think I'm on my way back. I think our team did pretty well."
Junior Vivian Norden was Mid Pen's leader in 13th (24:41.3), one spot higher than Powers North Central sophomore Alina Norkoli (24:46.3).
Esky junior Kingston Berube took ninth (19:54.3) and sophomore teammate Wyatt Gallagher was 12th (20:21.1).
Boys
Florence-Niagara 33, Rock Mid Peninsula 78, Marinette 85, Kingsford 88, Menominee 97, Stephenson 111, Carney-Nadeau 164. Crystal Falls Forest Park, Escanaba, Manistique, Escanaba Holy Name and Norway NTS.
Top 10 -- 1, Ashdeyn Gerow, Rock Mid Peninsula, 18:08.5; 2, Cavan Mulligan, Kingsford, 18:30.3; 3, Bradley Klann, Menominee, 18:33.7; 4, Jaxon Courts, Florence-Niagara, 19:13.7; 5, Evan Parker, Florence-Niagara, 19:34.1; 6, Hayden Smith, Crystal Falls Forest Park, 19:37.2; 7, Carson Chrisman, Florence-Niagara, 19:38.4; 8, Zane Phillips, Florence-Niagara, 19:47.6; 9, Kingston Berube, Escanaba, 19:54.9; 10, Dietrich Rasner, Crystal Falls Forest Park, 20:08.3.
Girls
Marinette 33, Kingsford 37, Menominee 56. Escanaba, Crystal Falls Forest Park, Florence-Niagara, Stephenson, Rock Mid Peninsula, Powers North Central, Escanaba Holy Name and Manistique NTS.
Top 10 -- 1, Maria Murvich, Kingsford, 21:05.9; 2, Winley Brandt, Menominee, 22:10.6; 3, Avah Akerly, Escanaba, 22:33.6; 4, Ellie Zaupa, Crystal Falls Forest Park, 23:00.6; 5, Ina Holt, Florence-Niagara, 23:38.4; 6, Carmen Semrau, Marinette, 24:05.1; 7, Annabella Hiers, Marinette, 24:09.4; 8, Bella Koenigs, Marinette, 24:17.2; 9, Violet Schuettpelz, Menominee, 24:22.6; 10, Allison Deuter, Kingsford, 24:34.1.