Lady Vikings claim divisional title in Yankee Springs race

The Hopkins girls’ cross-country team captured first place in its division Monday in the Middleville Thornapple Kellogg Invitational at Gun Lake State Park.

The Lady Vikings scored 39 team points to run away with first place in the Kellogg Division, which is for Division 3 squads. Grand Rapids West Catholic trailed with 64 and Grand Rapids Track Club finished third among the eight teams in the field.

Sophomores Laura Velderman and Jasmine Fisher led the way for Hopkins by taking second and  third places, with respective times of 20:17.8 and 20:55.3. Ashleigh Bloom of the Grand Rapids Track Club won the individual race with a time of 20:09.3.

Senior captain Madison Snoeyink took sixth and sophomore Emma Helder was seventh, as the Vikings took four of the top seven places. Frshman teammate Grace Beckwith was 21^st to round out the scoring.

The Hopkins boys’ team finished fourth in the seven-team competition with 106 points. Grand Rapids Track Club won it with 34.

Sophomore Dan Rausch paced the Vikings by taking seventh in 18:02.7. Junior Ethan Nagel was 13^th in 18:44.8, freshman Todd Henley 19^th in 19:17, senior Nick Belka was 28^th and freshman Zach Nutter 48^th.

Both the Wayland girls’ and boys’ squads checked in sixth in a very fast field of runners in the Thornapple Division. The girls had 148 team points while perennial powerhouse East Grand Rapids won it with 43 and Caledonia had 56.

Erika Freyhof, defending Division 2 state champion, won the race in a blistering 18:14.9.

Junior Kaitlyn Paul was the Lady Wildcats’ fastest runner with a time of 21:14.6, good for 20^th place. Senior Emily Gray was 27^th in 21:39.6, senior Emily Isenhoff 38^th in 22:13.6, sophomore Zoe Antel 39^th in 22:15.5 and freshman Rylee Cronkright, 44^th i9n 22:25.6. Missing from the lineup was Wayland’s top runner, Maggie Whitney.

Caledonia won the boys’ race with an impressive 29 points and East Grand Rapids was runner-up at 60. Wayland had 178 points, finishing ahead of Ottawa Hills, Hastings and Wyoming.

Senior captain Jonathan Zuiderveen was the Wildcats’ top runner at 18:17.2. Freshman Mitchell Hooker had a fine race in 18:49.7, good for 33^rd. Ethan Killips was 48^th in breaking the 20-minute barrier, Garret Kloska 77^th and Steven Mosher 98^th.

PHOTO: Four of the top seven runners in the Yankee Springs Invitational Kellogg Division were from Hopkins (from left) Laura Velderman, Jasmine Fisher, Madison Snoeyink and Emma Helder. (Photo courtesy Renee Murphy Velderman)