The girls Cross Country team found itself in familiar territory this past Friday afternoon on the banks of the Grand River at the Ottawa Hills Invitational at Riverside Park. The team competed on the same course a week before in the first OK Gold Jamboree.
“Our second trip to Riverside was a step forward from last week’s meet,” commented Coach Katie Weiler.
The team finished 9th in the 17 team field. The Red Hawks were led once again by Senior standout Larissa McGrath who finished in 14th place (20:32) in the 133-runner field earning her a medal position. Junior Annalise Elliott returned to the lineup and finished in 38th place. Freshmen Serena Piotrowski continues to drop her time as she posted a personal record (PR) running 22:50 for 66th place. Finishing next for the Red Hawks was Junior Kaitlynn Brown (72nd– 23:00) who used a strong last mile to move up and run a season personal record (PR) by over a minute. Junior Hannah Reed continues to be a steady presence for the team as she finished in 77th place. Hannah was followed by Senior Molly Bentley (84th) and Addyson Brown (87th) rounding out the top 7.
“I was impressed with how Addyson and Kaitlynn Brown raced in our middle pack. They both improved their season best times by over a minute and can use that momentum as a springboard for big things in the next few races,” said Coach Weiler. “This was the first race that the entire team of 17 ran, which is exciting. We are looking forward to the cooler weather and morning race time for our home invite on Saturday.”
The Red Hawks will be back in action this Saturday as they host the Cedar Springs Invitational.
