October 19, 2021 - OK Gold Conference Meet

Freshman Ava Crews decided it was time to lead from the gun again, and she did so for the first 1500 meters or so before being overtaken by some stronger veteran runners from Ottawa Hills and Forest Hills Eastern. However, she didn’t back down and she placed 5th overall to earn All-Conference Honors.

Senior Jessica Durkee, had to tough it out through a race that didn’t go the way he had hoped, or what she is capable of, but some days just go like that. Even so, she finished as All-Conference Honorable Mention.

Sophomore Holly Velting laid it on the line and went sub-22, which was one of the goals on the day and she really put in a great effort. This is more of what I think Holly is capable of, and it’s the kind of effort we’ll need from her again at regionals, with hopefully others in the middle of our team doing the same.

Meanwhile, junior Lucy VanDemark, still on the comeback trail, scored a 22:19, placing fourth for the Trojans, followed not too far behind by junior Lindsey Velting, freshman Lydia Schilthroat, and junior Emma Thompson. 

We had some really solid showings by some, but we also had few who didn’t have the kind of race they are capable of. We placed 5th, and that’s where we’ve been landing in our conference throughout the year. 

Even with our team’s performance not being stellar as a whole, I still believe that we can make an impact at the regional meet if we all produce the kind of race I believe this team can when we are firing on all cylinders at the same time. We have some challenges with injuries and set-backs and that’s just part of the deal sometimes. I’m still choosing to look forward with optimism. 

The JV race featured a very respectable performance by senior Kendall Snyder who led TKs JV team. She was followed by freshman Emma Dykhouse who ran a tough race, followed by sophomore Kate Powers, senior Anna Benedict, sophomore Laine Hinton, sophomore Marian Gielincki, senior Olivia Landry, and Spaniard Eva Dominguez, all of whom put up strong efforts.