For the third time in program history, Lake Leelanau St. Mary is set to launch a track team for the 2024 season.
This significant development follows Suttons Bay’s decision to discontinue its program, leading to the dissolution of their joint efforts with St. Mary, with football and soccer possibly being the only exception.
The Eagles will be sporting a team of 20 athletes for both a boys and girls team. There is a healthy dose of freshman and eighth graders on the team.
St. Mary does not have a track and field facility, so the program will primarily focus on track events instead of field events.
The Eagles will be led by senior Kendra Couturier.
Couturier missed out on making it to states in the mile and two-mile by only a few spots.
She finished fifth and sixth in the 1600- and 3200-meter runs.
Couturier ran a personal record time of 14:05 in the twomile at the Frankfort Invitational. She also ran a personal record time of 6:18 in the mile at the Conference championship meet.
“It’s fun just to hang out with everybody at practice. I like the beginning of practice, just being together, doing our stretches and exercises,” Couturier said. “I’m working on doing everything right and then being able to do the relays to the best of our abilities. Knowing how to pass it off and doing it well, relatively flawlessly, and just being the best we can be for all these events.”
Eagle senior Jessica grant will be counted on from the throwers circle and as a leader for this young track team.
“I’m really just excited to get back into it. I’m excited to be there for the team, have all the support, you know, go to meets, have fun,” Grant said. “Feel like we all come together as a family ... We keep our faith first. I feel like most of these people are like siblings to me ‘cause I played so many sports with them. So we all really just come together to have fun,” Grant said.
The boys team will be relying on the long distance legs of Cody Couturier and Oliver Mitchell, to name a few.
Couturier and Mitchell who played baseball last season will be lacing up the track cleats for the upcoming season.
