Both the sun and the spirits of the Cedar Springs girls cross country team was shining a as they boarded their chartered bus to the Division 2 state finals last Saturday, November 6. As they approached MIS Speedway, host to the finals, “Don’t Stop Believin” by Journey blared on the bus. The girls did just that—they never stopped believing they could go out and run hard and improve on their 9th place finish last year. This year, the girls all ran their personal best times of the season to earn 6th place, again the best ever finish by a Cedar Springs girls cross country team.

In a race that had 257 girls competing, sophomore Katie Weiler earned all state honors with her 9th place finish. Her time of 18:27.7 also set a new school record. Sophomore Amanda Balczak also earned all state honors, finishing 25th and running her personal best time of 18:42.8. Senior Jessica Titus finished out an outstanding cross career by finishing 67th with a season best time of 19:59.  Sophomore Sommer VanDyke placed 69th with a time of 20:01, also her personal best time.  Freshmen Michaela Burnett again improved on her previous best time running a 20:17 placing her 82nd. Sophomores Christina Dean and Madi Phelps continued the trend of running personal bests by running 21:17 and 21:28 to finish 143 and 148. It was an amazing race by some talented runners.

The girls arrived back into Cedar Springs escorted by the Cedar Spring Fire Department. Congratulations to the girls and to coach Jen Kahler on another outstanding season!