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Thornapple Kellogg High School

go trojans!

Thornapple Kellogg High School

Game Summaries & Headlines.

Game Summary

4.0 years ago @ 8:37PM

Girls Varsity Cross Country vs. OK Gold Jamboree #1

Game Date
Sep 18, 2019

 

OK Gold Jamboree #1 @ South Christian

Going into our conference meets we are very well aware of what we are up against. Our goal is to win our half of the conference, which consists of South Christian, Wayland, Wyoming, and ourselves. Today the goal I set out for us was not only to win our half of the conference, but rattle the FHE cage a little. All the girls ran with a lot of determination on a day that was hotter than any of our races to date, and they did just that. Having said this, South Christian, also demonstrated that they are not messing around, and were hot on our heels. This is not something to panic about, but something to pay attention to, as they are another strong team, not just in our conference, but in our region.

Quite seriously, I couldn’t care less about the girls times, as much as I am their desire and commitment to compete...to simply race their opponents. Times are going to be relative to the conditions of the day. Today was hot and times across the board were slower for all teams, but the competition was still there. It’s always there. The question is, are you going to take on the challenge? The girls continue to show grit and they continue to show up! Really, it’s their M.O. and I love it both as a coach, and I’ll admit it, as a fan of these girls.

Once again, sophomore Jessie Durkee (21:02) led the charge for us. She started out strong, but smart, and competed every step of the 3.1 miles she covered. Freshman Lucy VanDemark (21:52) was an animal once again, running second for us, and  putting herself out there and getting it done. Running third for us, showing her strength in hot conditions was sophomore Kendall Snyder (22:11). Senior Audrey Meyering (22:15) ran a very smart race, placed fourth for us, and worked her way from nearly a minute back to close within four seconds of her teammates, and it was a lot of fun to see that unfold. Freshman Maddie Nagel (22:42) battled cramps, but still pushed through, like the tough as nails girl that she is, and she hung on to a strong fifth place finish on our team. Senior Elizabeth Meyering (22:51) show steady perseverance and strong leadership on our team, finishing sixth for us. Rounding out the top seven, was freshman Lindsey Velting (23:17) who has been battling some calf issues lately, but pressed on and had one heck of a finish!

Additional finishers for us were sophomore Kelsey Smith (23:47), sophomore Ainsely Oliver (24:01), freshman Emmie MacDonald (24:17), junior Haven Beyer (24:42), freshman Emma Thompson (25:06), senior Gracie DeWent (25:08), Spain’s Clara Argenta-Laorga (26:48), sophomore Shayne Krystyniak (26:51), and sophomore Olivia Landry (29:38).

Although earlier I said I couldn’t care less about times, that was relative to their willingness to compete. However, times matter when you meet or beat a goal, and some of that was going on today. Special shoutouts to Haven Beyer who said before the race she wanted to be in the low 26’s or in the 25’s and hit 24:52! Another shoutout to Shayne Krystyniac who ran a personal best in hot conditions! Yet another shoutout to Olivia Landry whose guts were not cooperating, but she kept at it with a lot of heart! Another shoutout to Clara Argenta-Laorga who ran a personal best! Annnnd a final shoutout to Gracie DeWent who was pushing and encouraging her teammates like the leader on our team that she is.


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