Kubacki leads cross country
Wet and muddy conditions did not stop two women’s cross country runners from setting personal bests Friday at the Michigan Intercollegiates in Grand Rapids.
Junior Kylee Kubacki finished 20th place at Calvin College with a time of 18 minutes, 48 seconds, breaking her personal record from her junior year of high school, said assistant coach Matt Kaczor.
“Kylee’s been steadily improving and she’s showing it,” he said.
Junior Raeanne Lohner, a native of nearby East Grand Rapids, also set a personal record with a time of 19:00, placing 27th.
The rest of the squad finished in the top 100. A total of 197 runners competed.
Sophomore Charnele Lyons placed 55th (19:35), sophomore Maddie Ribant 64th (19:49) and sophomore Rachael Wessel 66th (19:50). Freshmenn Jacquelyn McEnhill had a time of 20:11 and freshman Courtnay Hughes had a time of 20:16.
Men’s runners
Sophomore Matt Lutzke led the way for the men, finishing 45th in his first meet since the Sept. 18 Spartan Invitational with a time of 26:35.
“I didn’t really run as well as I wanted to,” Lutzke said. “I felt as if I ran better later on in the race than I did previously ... but it’s not where I wanted to be at.”
The men are still looking for a final runner to solidify their lineup heading into the Mid-American Conference Championships and NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships, and Lutzke said he is hopeful to be a part of that.
“My goal is to help the team out at MAC, regionals and beyond, so I can contribute positively,” Lutzke said.
Kaczor said the team is getting close to naming the final runner, but has not yet.
Sophomore Adam Gere finished 72nd (27:03) and junior Adam Smith placed 75th (27:09).
The Chippewas used the meet to give some younger runners a chance to get some experience for the future.
“It’s always good to get people in uniform and racing so they’re ready for when it’s their turn to take over,” Kaczor said.
The teams will travel to Terre Haute, Ind. on Saturday to compete in Pre-Nationals.
