Written By Riley Homan (Class of 2029)
Edited by Mr. Zane Harding (Journalism Advisor)
Credit to Mr. Nathan Bradford (Athletic Director) for stats
With MHSAA Regionals on the horizon tomorrow morning at Benzie Central, it's time to take a look back at the second half of our varsity cross country regular season!
On Tuesday, September 29, the Onekama cross country team hosted the Northwest Conference Jamboree, marking the first cross country race on the school’s new course. The girls team finished second overall, the girls were once again led by Callie Sinke, who won the race with a time of 19:15. Addy Zeller finished fifth in 20:54.5, while Zakia Wagoner placed seventh in 21:06.1. Johnny Sinke led the boys side finishing 25th with a time of 19:53.5.
On Saturday, October 10, the varsity cross country teams traveled to Portage for the Portage invitational. The girls team delivered another terrific performance, earning runner-up honors with a second place finish in Division 4 against five of the top ranked teams in the state. Johnny Sinke led the charge for the boys team, finishing 81st with a 18:47.9 time.
On Tuesday, October 13, the teams traveled to Glen Lake for the Northwest Conference Championship. The girls team had an outstanding performance, finishing second place overall in the competition. Callie Sinke won the individual conference championship with a first-place finish in 19:19. Zakia Wagoner finished seventh in 21:14.8, and Addy Zeller placed eighth in 21:28. All three girls earned All-Conference honors for their performances. On the boys side, Johnny Sinke led the Portagers with a 17th place finish in 18:49.4.
Finally, recently, on Wednesday, October 21, the varsity cross country teams traveled to Benzie for the Benzie Blitz Tune Up, a two-mile event featuring four different race divisions. In the girls 9th/10th-grade race, Zakia Wagoner finished fourth with a time of 12:37.8. In the boys' 9th/10th-grade race, Johnny Sinke placed 11th in 11:25.1 leading the boys, while Knox Schmidt-Stoykovich finished 17th in 11:55.7. In the girls' 11th/12th-grade race, Callie Sinke earned a second place finish with a time of 11:25.5. Addy Zeller finished 10th in 12:45.1.
Congratulations on an excellent regular season, runners, and best of luck at regionals this weekend!