Another year of experience bred better results for the Brandon girls cross country team in the state finals Nov. 5.
The Blackhawks made their second straight trip to the Division 2 state meet at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn and improved upon their 13th place finish from last year.
Brandon finished eighth out of 27 teams at the meet ? their best finish at the state cross country finals in school history. The Blackhawks finished with a team score of 263.
Grand Rapids Christian won this year’s Division 2 championship with 108 points, while Grand Rapids South Christian finished second (164) and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern third (218).
Team scores were calculated by totaling the finishes of the top five runners from each team in the state meet (See accompanying chart for team scoring breakdown).
Brandon coach Rod Yeacker said the conditions for the race were ‘pretty good,? considering rain was in the day’s weather forecast.
‘The temperature was up a little bit,? he said. ‘We were expecting it to rain, but it held off. It wasn’t the greatest racing conditions, but it was pretty good.?
Junior Kelsey Carmean led the Blackhawk pack, finishing 25th among all Division 2 girls runners with a time of 19:31.35. Senior Kelly Wilson was next up, clocking in at 32nd (19:38.15), while sophomore Jamie Hendershott placed 39th (19:47.30).
Rounding out the Brandon scoring were freshman Hannah Scherer, who finished 69th (20:12.10), and senior Kayla Doan, who placed 98th (20:41). Also competing for the Blackhawks were junior Sarah Eldon (123rd, 21:09.30) and sophomore Katelin Mackin (140th, 21:35.10).
Yeacker said the team’s finish in the state meet is a result of hard work on the part of the Blackhawks, although newcomer Scherer has added some talent to the team as well.
‘The improvement has just been from consistent training,? he said. ‘They have been training through the offseason and hard through the season.?
The Blackhawks are losing two seniors, Wilson and Doan, to graduation. Yeacker said both girls have contributed greatly to the program.
‘For Kelly, this was only her second year of cross country,? he said. ‘She’s a scholar-athlete and a member of the All-State academic team. She’s improved from being our number five runner to our number two runner. She’s contributed in every way possible ? even beyond the points she’s earned, her leadership and motivation have been excellent.?
As far as Doan is concerned, Yeacker said she helped build the foundation for where the program is today, encouraging many of her teammates to join the program.
‘Kayla Doan is really responsible for getting the people on the team and getting them focused,? he said. ‘She was responsible for coaching them outside the season. She was the one that gave them direction.?
Despite the loss of the two seniors, Yeacker said the Blackhawks can still improve upon this year’s eighth-place finish, especially considering they were only 45 points away from finishing in third place.
‘Obviously, we lose two of our top five runners, but at time some time, I think Katelin Mackin can do nothing but improve,? he said. ‘The whole core should improve. We still have five of our top seven runners coming back. If they show the same commitment that they have this year, we can improve.?