The schedule posed some issues for the Reeths-Puffer girls cross country team last week.
That would explain the significantly different times for the R-P runners on different days, particularly for senior standout Jersi Bilek.
On Thursday the Rockets ran in the first O-K Conference meet of the season, but also had to think about the upcoming Bredeweg Invitational at West Ottawa on Saturday.
“The team of mostly senior girls collectively discussed the pros and cons of racing two races back-to-back only 48 hours apart,” R-P Coach Lindsay Keefe said about the strategy on Thursday. “While it is early in the season and the extra stimulation is usually welcomed, they decided to run smart. The ladies decided to slow down mile one and two considerably, and then aim for their goal pace the last mile to the finish line.”
Jersi Bilek
The result was some slower than normal times for the Rockets, and they finished last against their conference competition.
Bilek, R-P’s lead runner who has been off to a strong start this season, finished 24th individually with a time of 22:39.
Also placing and scoring for the Rockets were Darcy Keefe (24:50), Kailtyn Durow (24:57), Charli Belinger (26:50) and Sidney Shakelford (29:34).
The Rockets were obviously rested on Saturday, however, and it showed in their times. They didn’t have a great day as a team, finishing 12th out of 16 teams, but the runners were all a lot faster.
Darcy Keefe
Bilek finished 19th out of a field of 139 runners with a time of 19:56 – nearly three minutes faster than Thursday - even though she was not feeling particularly well.
“She really persevered and ran with some grit, and it was pretty amazing to watch her stay focused and achieve an under 20 time!” Coach Keefe said.
Darcy Keefe posted a season-best time of 23:04, followed by Durow (23:12), Belinger (24:57), and Shakelford (28:52).