This year, the cross country team has a lot to look forward to. With a lot fewer people than last year, the team is able to work together and bond a lot easier: two valuable aspects that will make cross-country unforgettable this year. In addition to this, both teams have been putting up fast times and have set their eyes on state.
The girls’ team is planning on making state for their 9th year in a row, and with their finishes in the first several races of the year, this will happen. Meanwhile, the boys’ team are trending towards their first state race since 2015, when it was their 8th year in a row that they made state.
The first meet of the year was the Kent City Invite. On the girls’ side, they took home first place, beating the field with a score of 20 points. For the guys, they had a great finish, taking 3rd place and beating rivals Covenant Christian. You could say that the cross team ran away from the meet looking forward to the upcoming races, as the Kent City Invite was just the beginning.
After having the Kenowa Hills meet canceled due to the amount of raining and flooding on the golf course, the team took a long break before their next meet: two weeks after Kent City. This meet was the Christian Schools Invite. Christian Schools alike gathered at South Christian’s Sports Complex to compete. The guys did an outstanding job, beating seven other teams to take home second place. Meanwhile, the girls’ raced away in first place beating many other teams including highly esteemed, Division 2, Grand Rapids Christian, to take first place at the Christian Schools Invite.
Six days later, the team headed to Lansing to race against some of the best teams in the state at the MSU Spartan Invitational. Unlike previous years, the entire team, both JV and Varsity were able to race in this invite, making it even more special. The Varsity girls raced deservingly in the Elite race earlier in the day. Despite the hot temperature and minimal shade on the course, the girls placed the best they ever had, coming in 12th place against 38 other teams. Most of these teams were Division 1 or 2 teams. The Varsity boys ran in the white race alongside Division 3 and 4 teams. They took third place, taking home the coveted MSU trophy. For the JV runners, many of them posted incredible times at their first MSU meet.
The next week was followed by the first conference race of the year, and that day, The entire team ran great times in the unneeded heat. That Saturday, the team headed up to Cedar Springs to race that fast and confusing course. During race time, the entire team was thrilled to have great running weather: little wind and much cooler than normal, staying the low 60s. This resulted in great times and many personal records. The guys took third place, showing great signs of improvement from last season. The girls took first place with speedy finishes from everyone. As for the JV teams, they showed their incredible depth at Cedar Springs, which is something that many teams across the state do not have. This has lead to a great surge of greatness from everyone on the team.
Based on the first chunk of the season, it is apparent that both teams will finish well and achieve their goal of making State. As the rest of the season unfolds, we pray for health for everyone on the team as they continue to achieve greatness and compete in huge races coming up in October.
*UPDATE*
The girls got second place at the State championship. When the team was watching the girls race we were so happy to see them as they finished and got second place. The boys did good and got in 5th place and we’re proud of that.
Article written by Chloe Hoekstra
