Homecoming week is often a busy one and this year was no exception. With a lot going on, we still squeezed in a Saturday meet on the day of the homecoming dance. Although focus was in several directions, running competitively was indeed one of them. Overall the girls ran well. Like any other day in the life of a runner, some had strong performances and others finished wishing their performances were better. It’s all normal. Regardless, the varsity team placed 6th out of 15 competitive teams, with two of the top ranked teams in the state, Grand Rapids Christian and Otsego finishing 1st and 2nd respectively and with the strong westside teams of Zeeland East, Holland Christian, and Hudsonville Unity Christian filling the 3rd, 4th, and 5th spots. 

Ava Crews once again led the Trojans, placing 11th overall and dipping under 19-minutes in 18:59. Next for Thornapple Kellogg was one of two dynamic duos, Mady Kietzman (20:52) and Peyton Hardy (20:54), finishing 40th and 41st. Following not too far behind them was the second dynamic duo of Alaina McCrumb (21:39 PR), and Avery Hagemann (21:40 PR), finishing 57th and 58th. Following this tandem was Megan Schuurmans, finishing 6th for the Trojans and 67th overall in a PR of 22:23. Rounding out the top seven was Holly Velting (22:31), crossing the line in 69th.

We of course need a girl at the pointy-end and Ava has been very consistent in that role. That being said, if you don’t have a strong core, the team does not do particularly well. Fortunately for us we have two sets of girls right now, Mady and Peyton, and Alaina and Avery that are making gains and really working well together. I’m thrilled that this is continuing because they have been significant contributors to our success as a team.

The JV race featured Carmen Reynolds, who went out strong and held on the best she could on the day. I’m glad Carmen took a chance like that. Sometimes you need to test your boundaries in different ways before you can find the sweet spot you are looking for. She gave a fantastic effort, but didn’t meet her own high expectations. Regardless, she was the first JV Trojan to cross the line in a very respectable 15th place overall in 22:55. Next for TK was Hailey Lee (24:09) finishing in 33rd place. Not long after, Kate Powers (24:27) came through in 38th place. Finally, Raylee Preston finished in 26:52, and in 76th place. She didn’t have the race she wanted, but she did what she could on the day.

As always, the girls worked hard and gave it what they had. It will be nice to have a week before our next meet so that we can recalibrate a bit before stepping onto another starting line. Way to go ladies. As always, you represented Thornapple Kellogg well today.