Utica boys cross country sets school record at MHSAA state finals

UTICA — Utica High School had all the odds against it in its return to the Michigan High School Athletics Association Boys Cross Country State Finals.

With the team’s No. 2 runner, junior Ethan Muraszewski, sidelined due to injury and preliminary rankings from media outlets predicting the team to finish outside the top 15, Utica was on a mission to make history.

“They did amazing,” Muraszewski said. “We had no clue how we were going to do, and they were kind of underdogs; they outperformed the rankings, and it was amazing to watch.”

On Nov. 5. at Michigan International Speedway, Utica took ninth place in the MHSAA Boys Cross Country State Finals 5K, setting a new school record for highest placement at the state finals.

“We went in with pretty good momentum at the state meet, but I just didn’t know how we were going to do because we had a pretty young group,” Utica coach Megan Berry said. “They handled the pressure and the crowd really well; they all finished way above expectations.”

As her racers crossed the finish line, Berry was watching as the live results showed her team in 19th place.

With the refresh of a page, everything changed.

“All of a sudden, I was getting a bunch of texts saying congratulations coach, and I refreshed my page, and we jumped from 19 to nine,” Berry said.

Senior Trent McFarland led all Utica runners, finishing in fifth overall with a time of 15:46:28.

“It was unreal, especially because last time I was there, I placed 140th,” McFarland said. “For me to place fifth in a competitive field was amazing.”

McFarland last raced in the MHSAA state finals in 2020. McFarland is a two-time all-state runner in track and field and state champion in the 800 meters, and his experience was vital for the young Utica team.

“He’s always just been an inspiration to have on the team; it’s not every day you have a state champion on your team, and the younger guys look up to him,” Berry said.

Muraszewski’s injury may have held him back from running with his teammates, but his leadership was a key factor heading into the state finals. Muraszewski qualified as a sophomore for the 2021 MHSAA state finals as an individual.

“It’s just amazing what they did without him in there,” Berry said. “We were still able to do a lot, and he just stepped up as a captain and a leader.”

In a field of more than 250 racers, Utica posted four runners in the top 150 with McFarland, senior Logan Davis (77th), freshman Harper Wesley (125th) and sophomore Luke Morehouse (135th) all providing efficient scores. Davis has been a reliable senior leader for Utica this season.

“He’s just very gritty and a tough racer,” Berry said. “The bigger the stage and the bigger the meet, the tougher he races.”

Utica started its cross country season the way it always does, with a team-bonding trip to Lakeside, Ohio. The team rents a cottage, and while it’s a fun activity for the guys, they’re also there to see what the team is made of going into the season by running a 5K time trial.

After seeing their results, the team was feeling nothing but confidence.

“We had a feeling we were going to be the best Utica team of all time because of how our camp went and the time trials,” Muraszewski said.

Utica ran strong throughout the year with runner-up finishes in the Macomb County Championship and the Macomb Area Conference-Red meet.

Morehouse, Muraszewski, Wesley and junior Danny Boyd will lead Utica into the 2023 season with new goals and new expectations.

“I think we’re going to have a lot of the same goals as we did this year,” Muraszewski said. “We’re losing Trent, Logan and Ryan, but we have a lot of depth and young guys who can fill in that spot.”

While Utica’s three seniors are set to graduate, new standards will be set after a historic season.

“That’s one thing I’ve been thinking a lot about, and I never want it to be at the point where it takes joy away, because it was so fun being the underdog, but the expectations are going to be raised,” Berry said.