LOWELL, Mich. — Lowell High School senior Marshall Huhn is chasing a state championship on the cross country course while working toward another major accomplishment in the classroom: becoming class valedictorian.
WATCH: Lowell High School senior chases records and valedictorian honors
The three-time all-conference cross country runner has already set several school records and earned Academic All-State honors in both track and cross country. As his senior season continues, Huhn has his sights set on even more success.
“From freshman year, he wanted to be the best of the best,” said Brian Smith, Lowell’s cross country head coach.
Huhn said that drive to succeed extends beyond running.
“Honestly, I feel like in everything I do, I really try to pursue excellence,” Huhn said.
Breaking records on the course
Huhn began running in middle school, and his list of accomplishments has continued to grow throughout his high school career.
Smith said Huhn hopes to defend his conference title this season, with goals of becoming a regional champion and competing for a state title in November.
“He's hoping to defend his title in the conference, but he also has goals to be a regional champion, and then at the state level as well,” Smith said.
Smith told FOX 17 reporter Paige Meyer during Wednesday’s conference jamboree at Allendale High School that Huhn continues to challenge the school's record books, making it difficult to know when to update their athletic record boards.
“Marshall will break our school record, and our athletic director will ask me, ‘Is this it, or do we need to hold off on updating the record board’,” Smith said.
He explained his usual response is to wait.
“I would hold off until the end of the year until you update the boards,” Smith would tell their athletic director.
Aiming for top honors
Huhn's drive doesn't stop at the finish line, he also excels academically, with a reported 4.553 GPA on his school's weighted scale, and a current ranking of number one in his class.
He has also served as a team captain since his junior year, leading his teammates by example both on the course and in the classroom.
Huhn credits his family, including his grandfather and parents, with helping instill the work ethic that guides him.
“I feel like if you have the time to do things, you want to do it well,” Huhn said. “I feel like my grandpa and my parents taught me that very well, just the value of hard work.”
Looking toward the next finish line
With his senior season still underway, Huhn has several goals ahead. In November, he plans to compete for a state championship with Lowell while also pursuing top finishes at his upcoming regional meets with his club team in order to qualify for a national meet.
And as he looks beyond Lowell, Huhn is already looking ahead to the next level, where he hopes to continue his running career in college.
“My trajectory is going high, so I feel like wherever I go running collegiately, I will be a good asset,” Huhn said.
While his records and championships will be part of his high school legacy, Huhn said running has also helped him develop a mental toughness that he’ll continue to carry with him.
“There's a lot of time in your mind that you can just kind of reflect after you kind of like get that initial, ‘This is really hard’ down,” Huhn said. “It just creates mental toughness and it's a lot of fun.”
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