MUSKEGON TWP. - Reeths-Puffer’s Jersi Bilek has always been a really good cross country runner.
She is a two-time state qualifier who has placed in the top 10 in 18 races over the past three seasons. She also holds the fourth best time for a single race in R-P girls cross country history.
A lot of runners would be very happy to graduate with that kind of resume.
But Bilek, a senior nearing the end of her cross country career, is not quite satisfied yet. She would like to get closer to the form she displayed as a sophomore, which was her best varsity season.
A big opportunity will come on Saturday at a Division 1 regional meet in Allendale, where she will have a chance to qualify for the state finals for the third straight year.
R-P's Jersi Bilek
Based on her most recent results, she should have a good shot at that.
“My goal for tomorrow is top 15,” Bilek said about regionals. “My goal for state would just be to run as fast as I can there, knowing it will be my last race in a Reeths-Puffer uniform.”
Bilek had some trouble earlier this season when she was slowed by a lingering cold and several physical issues involving her hip, back and calf. As she put it, “That doesn’t help when it comes to running.”
After starting the season with a first-place finish at the Fruitport Calvary Christian Invitational and a 12th place finish at the popular Under the Lights Invitational in Grand Rapids, she fell back in her next three races – albeit against tough competition – finishing 24th, 19th and 22nd.
Her low point came in the first O-K Green Conference Jamboree this season at Mona Shores, where she posted a time of 22:39 on the 5K (three mile) course, which was her worst mark in the last three years.
The good news is that Bilek has been feeling and performing better in recent weeks. She started physical therapy to maximize her flexibility about a month ago, and the results have been really encouraging.
She posted a time of 20.20 at the second O-K Green Jamboree on Sept. 24, then cut it to 20:12, 20:00 and 20:02 over her past three races.
Bilek finished in third place at the very hilly Greater Muskegon Athletic Association Meet on Oct. 11, and ninth at the brutally tough O-K Green Conference Meet on Oct. 14. She earned All-Conference honors, which is no small feat in one of the best cross country conferences in the state.
“I think I am definitely getting there,” she said. “But I have way more to prove with my times.”
Her best time has been 19:41 this season, and she would very much like to get back down to that mark, or perhaps do even better, at regionals on Saturday.
Bilek with one of the many medals she's won in her career.
Notably, her career best time of 18:57, set back in 2023, came on the same course at Allendale, and stands as the fourth best time in team history.
“I honestly think I can,” Bilek said about cutting her time significantly this weekend. “I have run that Allendale course so many times, and I know every little part where I have to pick it up. Especially with my physical therapy and training going so well lately, I think I can do well.
“I know I have to if I want to go to state.”
Bilek made her biggest splash during her breakout sophomore season, when she finished in the top 10 in seven different races. She finished in 13th place at regionals and 63rd at the state finals, with a great time of 19:15 in both races.
”I think knowing that I came off a really bad freshman season, I figured I had to prove myself, and that definitely helped with my times,” Bilek said about her sophomore year.
She regressed a bit during her junior season. She still had six top 10 finishes, but came in 21st place at regionals with a time of 19:27, and 165th place at state with a 19:59.
“I almost think it was mental,” she said about her 2024 season. “I was in shape, but I don’t think my mind allowed me to push myself like I did in my sophomore year. It was just hard for me to go into regionals and state and find that spark.”
Now Bilek is very much in the mood to climb back to where she was, particularly since she is down to her final chance to compete with her Reeths-Puffer teammates, something that means a lot to her.
They will all be with her for the last time on the course on Saturday.
"I am pretty excited,” Bilek said. “This weekend is going be sad, but it will also be fun, and I think we will perform well as a team. I’m excited to see how we do.
“I think your teammates can make or break a season. Having good teammates makes you want to run better and have more fun.”
Bilek with her coach, Lindsay Keefe, left, and former teammate Gabrielle Chevez.
Regardless of how things go over the next few weeks, R-P girls cross country coach Lindsay Keefe said it’s been pleasure coaching Bilek and watching her develop for seven years.
Keefe started coaching Bilek in middle school, before they moved up to varsity together in 2022, and said she knew from the beginning that she could be a special runner.
“I was very excited right away, because she showed that she could really turn it on to that higher speed and hold on to it after two miles,” Keefe said. “She showed that same grit, that same perseverance that she has now."
The coach thinks Bilek could accomplish some great things over the next few weeks.
“She has her head on straight, she’s excited and she looks strong," Keefe said.