Martin sophomore running sensation Veyda Conley has regained her chops as one of the top female harriers in the area.

Conley, who astonished observers a year ago by breaking the 20-minute mark as a freshman, moved back into that elite realm Wednesday in the Southwest Athletic Conference jamboree at Schoolcraft. She completed the 5,000-meter course in 19:46.92, marking the first time she ran in under 20 minutes since last year’s Division 4 state championships at Michigan International Speedway.

Conley was less than five seconds off her school record time of 19:42 she posted at the state meet in November 2023.

The Lady Clippers as a team finished seventh Wednesday in a 13-team field. Gobles edged Bridgman to capture first place with 73 points. Martin had 159.

Freshman Allison Rodgers finished 28th, Emily King was 34th, freshman DuRae Sage was 40th and Sara Schipper finished 61st.

The boys’ meet wasn’t as successful for the Clippers, who settled for 11th among 15 teams.

Senior Alex Morin led Martin in 22nd place with a time of 18:24.52. Jadon Dettman was 58th, Jeremiah VanHouten 70th, Hunter Hayes 78th and Nicholas Anguiane-Cruz 105th.