Leelanau harriers are sprinting off the starting line to find their pace during the 2024 crosscountry season.
Glen Lake boys finished fourth overall in the 5,000-meter small race at the annual Pete Moss Invitational on Saturday at Benzie Central.
Lake senior Colebrook Sutherland finished third with a time of 15:51, behind Mason’s Alex Tyndall and Mesick’s Kyle Redman finishing first and second overall. Glen Lake sophomore Abraham Feeney finished sixth with a time of 16:58, and junior Liam McCaw ran across the finish line at 17:47 to cap off an impressive day for the Lakers boys team.
“Every boy almost ran two minutes faster than they were last year at the same time,” Glen Lake coach George Drown said. “We had some guys that ran 22 minutes flat last year and they ran 20:30 this year.”
Other finishers included Lincoln Bailey 18:59; Dexter Morgan 19:31, 69th; Cason Adams 20:22; Britton Wheeler 20:27; Miles Wright 20:30.
Glen Lake knew they had to be nearly perfect to reach the podium (top 3) where they fell just short.
The Lakers will compete at Buckley on Wednesday for the first conference race of the season.
“I tell the kids, not every course is like Benzie and not every course is like Buckley … They just have to believe in the process and understand that as long as they’re doing the right things outside of practice, they’ll be where they need to be at the end of October,” Drown said.
On the girl’s side, Glen Lake freshman Carmella Julian proved she belonged on the course in her first high school cross country race. Julian finished seventh overall with a time of 20:45.
“It felt different breaking out (of the pack) and doing a different distance, but it felt good to race again,” Julian said.
Julian was ranked top-10 going into the race and she delivered.
“Once you get out on the starting line your mind clears and you just think about running,” she said.
Glen Lake senior Emily Alaimo finished 25th with a time of 22:08. Alaimo was the lone Laker girl last season, but with other girls on the team, it makes the sport more enjoyable.
“I have a workout partner with the other girls as a team ... I could run with the boys last year, and we were running the same times, but it still wasn’t the same. I didn’t run the race with them, so I couldn’t sit on their shoulder and have somebody pace me for my first race,” she said. “
Glen Lake freshman Alayna Ottenbacher also competed and finished 55th with a time of 23:49.
“The three girls that competed did a really good job ... Carmella, you know, she has expectations on her already because she wasn’t under the radar as a middle schooler.”
Leland Cross Country
Leland cross country is heading into another year with high hopes as the Comets take on the 2024 season with a full team for both boys and girls, and a new and old coach taking over the reins.
Leland coach Ann Knudsen is taking over the duties from longtime coach Karen Kirt, who started the cross country program several years ago. Kirt will still be around helping the runners and coaching middle school.
Leland started its season yesterday with a race at East Jordan.
“We’re a super young team this year, and so for our boys, four of them, it will be their first 5-K race ever,” Knudsen said. “You don’t want your first run to be your fastest, but you want to get a good baseline from it and then start to set goals at that point because the majority of them have never raced a 5-K. It’s going to be a great starting point for some good goal-setting for the season.”
The Comets will be sharing with other sports as half of both girls and boys’ dual sport.
“Showing a lot of commitment to both of those teams as well. And so it’s just nice having kids that are willing to work hard,” Knudsen said.
Leland is returning senior Ella Knudsen for the final goaround of her Comet career.
“I just want to go out and after every meet, know that I’ve done the best that I can do that, day and just feel proud of that and know that I’m working hard and that’s gonna take me where I need to take me and just see where that leads.”
Coach Knudsen will be finding the fine line of being a coach and mom as her son Christopher is also a freshman on the team.
“I want to be the encouraging mom that’s watching her daughter race at the high school level for the last time, but also as a coach, wanting to make sure that she has the opportunity for her best season yet as an upperclassmen and for her final year of high school. It’s exciting,” coach Knudsen said.
Leland freshman Campbell Fedderman and Chirstopher are excited to hit the course for the first time.
“I’m just excited to go out there. I’ve never run a full 5K. I’m just excited to go out there with my team and do the best I can,” Christopher said and Fedderman added.
“I’ve never run a 5k as a cross country runner, but I’m just excited to build the base for the next few seasons and just go run.”
Lelan junior Lorna Wiesen raced for the first time yesterday as well.
“I love the team. They’re all really supportive and fun, and I’m just excited to see what can happen,” Wiesen said. “I don’t know much about pacing myself, so I guess we’ll see and work on that and then go from there and try to improve every time,” she said.
The Comets will also be returning Natalie Burpee, Alyssa Korson, and Sophia Grinage.
