Heat wave: Troy, Notre Dame Prep’s Barron fight off extreme conditions to win Grizzlies Invite
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
ROCHESTER HILLS — Sara Barron is a brave soul.
The senior from Pontiac Notre Dame Prep fought through tremendous humidity and heat in the mid 90s Friday morning to win the individual crown at Oakland University’s Golden Grizzlies Invitational.
While several competitors dropped from the race and even one of the top runners collapsed only 100 meters shy of the finish line — Barron fought through the agony of the intense heat to break the tape and clock 19:44.
“Everyone was feeling really hot even before the race,” said Barron. “We weren’t worried about that because everyone had to run in the same conditions. It was really good competition for the first two miles. (Bloomfield Hills Andover’s) Lexy Sinclair and Natalie (Smith) from Clarkston. But they ended up dropping out of the race. The last mile I really had to push it.
FIGHTING OFF THE HEAT: Birmingham Brother Rice's John Pennington (left), Lake Orion's Jacob Houlihan (middle) and Pontiac Notre Dame Prep's Troy Kauffman (right) also stave off the extreme temperatures to finish at the Oakland University-hosted Golden Grizzlies Open. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt
With Clarkston’s Smith falling just in sight of the finish line and Sinclair dropping out the race with a mile to go after being in the front pack, Barron was not to be denied.
“I kept thinking about the finish line, ‘I’m almost done, I’m almost done.’ I had to keep going and I tried not to think about the heat and just focus on my cadence and when I’m going to finish,” continued Barron. “Just keep my mind off the heat, the pain.”
With Smith and Sinclair dropping out, Catherine Bloch of Warren Regina ended up taking second (20:25), followed by Troy’s Lauren Miller (20:35) and Maral Toukhanian (20:36) and Utica Ford’s Kelly Batzloff (20:44) in the top five.
SURGING: Port Huron Northern's Tyler Delange and Lake Orion's David Diaz round into the final straightaway at the Golden Grizzlies Open.
Without a pack leader, Troy again exhibited its balance, much like in previous years, to win the girls team title with 54 points. The Colts had all seven runners finish in the top 35 and its top five scorers in the top 20.
“We had run last week at the (Troy Athens) Red Hawks Invite and we had a minute and a half separating our top five,” said Troy coach Matt Richardson. “One of the goals coming into today was close that up a lot. We’re young and we’ll get stronger as the season moves along once we get some experience and some confidence.”
Regina was second with 70, followed by Rochester (91), Lake Orion (143) and Troy Athens (144) in the top five.
ALL THEY GOT: Troy's Lauren Miller (left) and Maral Toukhanian fly towards the finish line at the Golden Grizzlies Open, helping the Colts win the team title.
Notre Dame Prep was sixth (147), Clarkston seventh (170), Auburn Hills Oakland Christian 13th (334) and Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes- Clarkston Everest Unified. 14th (no team score) to round out local teams.
Katie Shaheen (11th), Kira Burnett (17th) and Abby Green (19th) also finished in the top 20 for Troy.
Jessica Goethals (ninth) and Maria Lepore (13th) paced Rochester to its third-place finish.
In the boys race, Birmingham Brother Rice landed three runners in the top five and won the title with 61 points, 20 ahead of runner-up Lake Orion’s 81. Walled Lake Northern (was third (102) followed by Port Huron Northern (116) and Dearborn Divine Child (150).
THE END IS NEAR: Pontioac Notre DamePRep's Sara Barron strides towards the finish at the Golden Grizzlies Open.
Rochester claimed seventh (189), Athens 13th (358), Notre Dame Prep 14th (378), Oakland Christian 16th (449) and Our Lady-Everest 18th (453).
“I guess when you have three in the top five, that’s a good start,” said veteran Brother Rice coach Bob Stark. “If we can really develop our No.4 and No. 5 guys, then we’ll be a really good team.”
Torin Wile (fifth, 17:08), Jay Woods (25th (18:21) and Al Giradot (28th, 18:25) contributed to Brother Rice’s score.
The Brother Rice tandem of Tom Giradot (16:09) and freshman John Pennington (16:10), one of the nation’s top ninth-grade distance runners, led the pack. Lake Orion’s TJ Carey (16:37) and Divine Child’s Nick Soter (16:50) followed suit.
SIDE_BY_SIDE: Rochester's Jessica Goethals (left) and Bloomfield Hills Andover's Lise Devits fight towards the finish at the Golden Grizzlies Open.
“We ran pretty well, which is nice because of the conditions,” said Lake Orion coach Stan Ford. “We had some sophomores step up and beat some of the seniors. We saw some depth, which is good for our future.
Justin Prawdzik (13th), Jacob Houlihan (23rd) and Ted Rydquist (37th) aided Lake Orion’s cause.
Elsewhere in the top 10, Rochester’s Blake Pozolo (sixth, 17:10) and Lake Orion newcomer David Diaz (eighth, 17:24) were among the top local finishers.
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Category: Clarkston, High School, High School (M-Z), Lake Orion, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, Prep Wraps, Rochester, Troy, Troy Athens, Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes
