Varsity highlights
For the second year in a row, the Ann Arbor Pioneer Cross Country
team ran away with the SEC Red Division championship as our runners
completely dominated the third and final Jamboree of the year. As
was the case in the last Jamboree, there was never a question about
the outcome as Pioneer took the top two spots and had five runners
finish in the top ten. And since the Jamboree was run on the
"classic" Hudson Mills course, times improved significantly over
the Gabriel Richard Invitational.
Running their last race at Hudson Mills, our three
senior co-captains had an exceptional day leading Pioneer to the
title. Peter Christmas once again dominated the SEC meet running
away from the field before the two mile mark with a fantastic time of
15:50. In his usual style, Pete wore down the top Bedford runner as
he ran away with the individual title. Great job Peter! Craig
Marlatt ran another brilliant race as he finished second in a very
good time of 16:19. Craig overtook the top Bedford runner just
before the three mile mark and never looked back as Pioneer slammed
the field finishing one-two. Congratulations Craig! Eric Anderson
almost made it one-two-three, finishing just behind Bedford's number
one runner in 4th place and a personal best time of 16:34. Eric
continues to run stronger and stronger races as we move closer and
closer to the Regional meet and MIS. Congratulations guys on leading
us to two consecutive SEC titles and on once again being selected to
the All SEC team.
Freshman Dan Culbertson was also a member of the All SEC team as he
finished in 7th place in a time of 16:53. Dan is running faster than
any freshman ever at Pioneer, and continues to put a smile on Coach
Sleeman's face as he runs with great confidence. Keep up the good
work Dan! And in the race of the day, Junior Mac McDonald-Wilkins
(16:55) finished in 9th place with a personal best time by sixteen
seconds and breaking the 17:00 mark for the first time. This is only
the second time this year our team has had five runners under 17:00,
and Mac seems to be peaking at the perfect time as he is very close
to solidifying his spot on this varsity squad. Senior Leo Callender
had a very good race finishing in 13th place with a time of 17:10,
and Senior Will Barden (17:36) rounded out the field finishing in
19th.
Junior varsity highlights
Unlike the Varsity, the JV race at Jamboree #3 combined both the Red
(Pioneer's division) and White divisions. But, the JV team was up to
the challenge, taking on their competition with ease. Four of the
top ten slots were taken by Pioneer and our top five guys posted an
excellent total of 31 points.
Sophomores Eric Hubbard (17:19) and Taylor DeLuca (17:20) chased down
the number one Dexter man, nearly catching him at the end. In an
exciting finish, Eric and Taylor sprinted to place 2nd and 3rd.
Junior Paul Verluis (17:23) was in close pursuit and finished 5th.
Bringing in the number 10 spot was Senior Mark Antonuk (17:35).
Half, yes half, of the JV team posted PRs this race! The following
are but a few of the notable performances. Sophomore Erik Levinsohn
(17:59) knocked a whopping 52 seconds off his record, to drop below
18 minutes. Sophomore Jacob Whiten (20:21) is the PR king, dropping
another 30 seconds from his previous record! Senior Peter Park
(21:07) dropped below 22 minutes, improving by 1:09. Junior Mark
Hanss (25:55) not only improved on his previous PR by 1:23, he has
cut his time by over ten minutes since the beginning of the season!
Fantastic job, JV team!!
Final notes
Without a doubt this team is running very well right now as they
eagerly anticipate running at the Regional meet to complete some
unfinished business left over from last year. Help us support the
team by making your way to this important meet, which we believe will
be at Willow Metropark!
The varsity race begins at 12:30. The JVers go at 1:45. See you there.
PR! - new personal record, refers to all-time
PR, not just the best time of the season
Go Pioneers!