Memorable experience at state for Huron runners
by Peter Jakey– Managing Editor
The cross country season couldn?t have ended at a better place for eight Rogers City High School athletes, as they legged out their final strides of the season on the grass infield of the Michigan International Speedway. Most of the Huron runners were looking for a higher final placing at the Division IV races in Brooklyn, but that proved to be difficult when the best runners from the 2007 season converged on the venue known for racing. As a team, the Huron girls placed 26th out of 28 teams.
The top five finishers for Rogers City had a total of 552 points. They included, in the order of their finish: Kaylee Kreft (55th, 20:40.6), Leilani Kortman (172nd, 22:28.5), Jami Horn (191st, 22:54.4), Sarah Bruning (200th, 23:11.6), and Hilary Lynch (208th, 23:35.2). Megan Hopp ended in 228th place (24:25.9), while Amy Hughes placed 247th (27:02.8).
?Being a young team, coming down here, I think we did rather well,? said head coach Rob Kortman. ?We didn?t place as high as we wanted, but we ran pretty close to what we ran at regionals, time-wise. It?s also a good experience for the younger runners.? Kortman?s only returning veterans were Bruning, Kreft, and Hopp. Kreft, who placed second in the state as a freshman, before being sidelined all last season with knee injuries, said ?I was glad to make it again. My legs are doing good.? Kotman added, ?As I told her at the beginning of the season, I had no expectations — what happens, happens. The same goes today. I was just happy she could run again.?
For the Huron boys? lone representative, as he did the week before at regionals, Tharin Wilk passed several runners down the stretch to improve his final placing at Brooklyn to 140th. His time was 18:10.4. While Wilk was visibly disappointed with the final outcome of his race, Kortman believes he ran well, even though ?he didn?t run the time he had been looking for.?
Some of the girls were looking for every adjective imaginable to describe their experience. Lynch said running at Brooklyn, with the huge speedway grandstands as backdrops, made for an incredible experience. ?It is just amazing, and a lot of fun,? said Lynch. Hopp said, ?I am really excited that I made it this year, and I want to be like Sarah and make it all my years in high school. I am a little disappointed in my time, but I finished strong, and I think that is good enough.? Kortman added, ?This is an amazing experience, to be down here with almost 300 runn
In all, the Michigan High School Athletic Association runs all eight state championship races, two from each of the four classes, before the afternoon is complete. The Huron girls placed third at regionals to earn their berth at state. Wilk had a final individual push to move into 13th place and qualify for the second year in a row.
CROSS COUNTRY note:
? Last week?s cross country article contained an error regarding the year Kreft was sidelined with injuries. It was during her sophomore year. The Advance regrets the error.
? East Jordan regional winner, Kari Johnson of Central Lake, finished 24th with a time of 19:54. The overall Division IV winner was Lindsay Neal of North Muskegon with a time of 18:29.1. For the boys, it was Kevin Oblinger of Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart with a time of 15:49.3.