November 19, 2015
Cross Country Season Recap
This fall was a wonderful opportunity for the cross country team to glorify God with the talents He has given to each one. Whether it was our team prayer captain, senior Laura Beth Yuhnke, praying or someone she chose to lead in prayer, the consistent theme was a desire for God to get the glory for any accomplishments we achieved.
We had one returner from last year, sophomore Dewey Rapson, who was our team captain. His leadership was much appreciated, especially when Coach was out of town and Dewey ran practice.
In addition to Dewey and Laura Beth, we had two freshman runners on the team, Wendy Busenitz and Corbin Evans. They came from very different running backgrounds. Both were talented athletes, with one being a hockey player who hadn't run competitively before, and the other being an accomplished runner.
It was fun to see how each of them progressed throughout the season. They all worked hard, whether it was a long 10-miler or repeat quarters on the track. Their disciplined efforts were reflected in each race we competed in. The most dramatic improvement of the season was Laura Beth, who shaved four minutes off her race time over the course of a couple of short months!
We are very thankful for the prayer support and encouragement we received throughout the season, it does make the miles fly by easier! We had a couple of injuries and some bad colds, but despite those challenges, all of the team members ran fast enough to qualify for the National CC Meet in New York!
We enjoyed a great trip to NY for Nationals. It had been raining there for a few days prior to race day, so the course was a little soft and muddy, but it was in great shape compared to the shin deep puddles we ran through at the Grand View University meet! There had been a light snow the night before, and the snow capped mountains around the Houghton College course were beautiful!
Thanks to the Lord for the strength and endurance he provided all throughout this season...to God be the glory!
- Coach Long
