Any time a Reeths-Puffer team can beat rival Mona Shores in any sport, it’s a positive accomplishment.
The Reeths-Puffer girls cross country team did that on Saturday, finishing in front of the Sailors at the MSU Spartan Invitational in East Lansing.
The Rockets finished 16th out of 20 teams from all over the state with 390 points. Mona Shores finished 17th with 406.
Jersi Bilek
Jersi Bilek, R-P’s top runner, finished in 17th place individually with a time of 20:28. That was more than a minute faster than her time on the same course last year.
Freshman Gabrielle Chevez finished 64th with a time of 22:10, a new personal record.
Adrienne Fluette finished 75th with a time of 22:23, Darcy Keefe was 108th with a mark of 23:35 and freshman Kaitlyn Durow was 173rd with a time of 35:43.
Gabrielle Chevez
R-P Coach Lindsay Keefe said the huge event, with college and high school races at Forest Akers East Golf Course on the Michigan State campus, was a great experience for the Rockets.
“This is an important race for our runners to experience,” Keefe said. “It is huge - as many as 200-plus runners in each race and on a college campus golf course. There is a ton of energy from the collegiate races as well as the multiple high school divisions.
"It was a chance for the Rockets to run shoulder to shoulder and in tighter packs. This is where running smart and in control pays off.”
