Allendale, MI — It was an early morning for the runners, but they came ready to compete. This was arguably our best overall team performance of the fall, and I was very impressed with how every athlete competed. We saw numerous season bests, a few personal records, and many more runners finishing just seconds away from their personal best times. Boys race The boys kicked off the day by finishing seventh out of 17 teams, a major improvement from last season’s 12th-place finish. Their top five scorers were: • Colton Mulder — 16:40 • Beckett Swanson — 17:45 • Masyn Wing — 17:53 • Logan Mahan — 18:24 • Travis Cornwell — 18:43 The boys continue to improve each week, and this was by far their strongest performance as a group. It was especially great to see senior Masyn Wing back under 18 minutes. Overall, I am very happy with the consistency we are seeing from this team. Colton Mulder has continued to be outstanding for us. His consistency gives our boys a great opportunity to be successful each time we race. Girls race The girls followed with an equally impressive team effort. From top to bottom, we saw major improvement, with many season bests and personal records throughout the lineup. The top five scorers were: • Ella McInerney — 18:22 • Chloe Mazza — 19:35 • Hailey Kuhn — 20:37 • Jean Holland — 21:48 • Lily Sparks — 22:08 This group has made great strides as a team, and I believe we will continue to see even more growth throughout October. I was especially happy with the boost our seniors gave us today. Ella McInerney ran a new personal record, breaking the best time she had set during her sophomore season. Jean Holland also stepped up in a big way while continuing her return from injury. Jean has been working extremely hard to get herself back on track, and that effort is beginning to show in a big way for our team. Looking ahead Our next race will be the Portage Invitational next week. We are excited for the opportunity to compete against some of the best teams in the state and see how we stack up.