Hardin and Maclean win 2008 Michigan Cup
Results
Wed, Mar 26, 2008 - By Mike Muha
Tracy Hardin and Dave Maclean finish the 2008 Michigan Cup season as the overall women's and men's champion. Each finished with a perfect score of 1,000 - a minimum of five race wins. A racer's top five races count toward points.
Women
Hardin, from the Straits Striders, won the season-opening Holiday Classic then went on to win the Boyne Highlands Classic, Michigan Cup Sprints, Michigan Cup Marathon, and the Black Mountain Classic.
In second place was Team NordicSkiRacer and last year's Michigan Cup champion, Emily Flynn, with 971 points. Flynn battled through injuries early in the season that limited her racing, but came back strong toward the end, winning the Hanson Hills Classic and the late season Boyne Highlands Classic.
Gussie Peterson of Hanson Hills/Cross Country Ski Shop finished a strong third with 960 points.
Men
Maclean of the Grand Rapids Nordic Ski Team had six wins, a second, and two thirds among his achievements on the Michigan Cup circuit, with strong competition. Milan Baic of Traverse Nordic was a close second, with 996 points and two wins.
Straits Strider's Denny Paull finished third, just one point behind Baic, with 195 points and two wins.
Juniors
Junior scoring was a little different this year, with younger juniors doing shorter races and older juniors going longer. The result was four champions.
In the younger division, Ross Williams of the Cross Country Ski Headquarters was top boy with 1,000 points, winning five races. Greg Brown and Evan Cover came in second and third with 970 and 950 points.
For the younger girls, Kaitlyn Patterson skied to six victories and 1,000 points. Maria Frick was not far behind. Frick had 990 points and four victories to her name. In third palce was Megan Egbert with 955 points and four podium finishes.
For the older boys, NordicSkiRacer teammates Mac Brennan and Brendan Baic finished first and second. Brennan won seven (!) races; Baic had one victory - and it was against Brennan in the first race of the season. In third place was Mark Alanson with 970 points, just 5 behind Baic. Alanson also had one win this season, at the Grand Travers Classic.