Two very promising Reeths-Puffer cross country runners had great performances at regionals on Saturday and qualified for the state finals for the first time.
Sophomore Jersi Bilek, the Rockets’ top runner all season, finished 13th overall at the Division 1 regional in Allendale with a time of 19:15, the fastest full 5K race of her career.
“Jersi showed up determined to accomplish her goal and nothing was going to get in her way,” said R-P Coach Lindsay Keefe. “She found her pace and stuck with it, even finding herself leading the pack for a few minutes! Jersi ran her fastest full 5K and took almost a minute off her personal record from last season!”
R-P's Jersi Bilek
Freshman Gabrielle Chevez finished 16th overall with a new personal record time of 19:23 and qualified for the state finals in her first try.
“Gabrielle had an absolutely phenomenal race,” Keefe said. “She told me she set a goal to earn a medal, and while she may not have received a medal (they only go to the top 15), she did qualify for the state finals!”
In the team competition, the Rockets finished seventh out of 12 with 193 points. It was their best finish since 2019. Holland Christian won the team title with 42 points.
R-P's Gabrielle Chevez
R-P junior Adrienne Fluette placed 46th out of 90 runners with a time of 20:58.
Freshman Darcy Keefe finished 58th with a personal record time of 21:36. Freshman Kaitlyn Dorow rounded out the R-P scorers by finishing 60th with a new personal record time of 21:40.
Bilek and Chevez will compete at Saturday’s Division 1 finals at the Michigan International Raceway in Brooklyn.
