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Thornapple Kellogg High School

go trojans!

Thornapple Kellogg High School

Game Summaries & Headlines.

Game Summary

1 year ago @ 7:07AM

Girls Cross Country v. OK Gold Jamboree #1

Game Date
Sep 7, 2022

 

Today was a measuring stick day in the OK Gold. This was a time to see where we all stand in real time on the same starting line, on the same course. Although it was Forest Hills Eastern who showed up on all cylinders with South Christian flexing their skills, it was Ottawa Hills’ fleet footed junior, Selma Anderson who led from start to finish. She was followed 26 and 28 seconds later by FHE’s senior leader, Sarah Dixon, and TK’s sophomore front runner, Ava Crews respectively.

“Ava could be characterized as a tough or strong runner, and that would be true, but she is also a cerebral runner, and she ran a super smart race today,” Coach Wilkinson said. “She started strong, and smart, worked her way gradually through the field, and then unleashed the beast in the last half mile that brought her from 5th to 2nd, and then she was just outkicked in the end by a formidable opponent. It’s always going to be a battle at the pointy end in this conference.”

Senior Lucy VanDemark was second for the Trojans today in 23:08, with senior Lindsey Velting (23:38), freshman Mady Kietzman (23:48), senior Emma Thompson (23:49), and junior Holly Velting (23:50) not too far behind. 

“Holly has been our number two, and she struggled today, and some days are just like that,” Wilkinson continued, “Lucy saw the need for the team and charged forward even with her own body rebelling a bit. Then the pack of Lindsey, Mady, Emma, and ultimately, Holly came through. This group works well together and it is good to see. They may finish in a different order each time, but it's the group work that’s what is going to pay off.”

Freshman Megan Schuurmans finished in 24:31, which rounded out the top 7 today. 

“Megan looked strong and in control of what she was doing today. I think she can go even faster with more experience and more confidence, but today was a good day for her,” noted Wilkinson.

Junior Kate Powers who ran much of the race with or near Schuurmans held on in 25:10.

“Kate had a fantastic race at Caledonia, and sometimes it can be hard to have back-to-back efforts like that, but I know this is far from the last we will hear from Kate. She is determined and better races for her are on the horizon,” Wilkinson claimed.

Next for the Trojans were junior Laine Hinton (26:18), senior Liz Gaunt (29:24), and freshman Lucy Teunessen (29:25). 

  “Laine told me after the race that she tried a race tactic that we had talked about as a team the day before and it was great to learn that she was mixing it up to see how she can improve. She’s got a great spirit,” Wilkinson said.

“Meanwhile,” Wilkinson continued, “Liz busted her butt after dealing with shin splints the past week and really gave what she had, and Lucy T, as she is affectionately known as, has been solid and continues to make gains.”

The OK Gold is currently being dominated by FHE and a South Christian team that was good last season, but is even better this season, and Ottawa Hills has shown early that they are a real force. The rest of the conference is pretty tight, but has a ways to go to be in contention with the powerhouses currently on top.

“Look. I get it. We aren’t where they are yet,” Wilkinson said in reference to the top three teams, “and yeah, I said this same kind of thing last year, but we are still looking up and not back. It’s going to be another battle of a season, but we will climb this ladder.”


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