The inaugural season for cross-country at Kellogg Community College was a smashing success. The season brought on accolades and awards both for individual and team performances.
When the season began in earnest Aug. 1, the first couple weeks of practice were as rough as a grizzly bear waking up from hibernation. Sore and tired, the men’s and women’s teams were building a solid foundation of work to build on throughout the season.
Over the course of four months, seven races and six cities, what started as a simple sport addition at the college blossomed into something special.
The men’s team went from coming in nearly last place at their very first 8K race to becoming regional champions, placing fifth in the nation overall, having an Honorable Mention All-American runner (freshman Kyle Strong) and becoming a family in the process.
The women’s team started the season not even having enough runners to score as a team at their first race. (Freshman Maggie Wood, who would finish the season as a Second Team All-American, had a freak accident with bees and started the year off injured.) But the squad came together and as a team go on to win their regional, as well, placing seventh in the nation.
Runners Hannah Delmotte and Emily Robertson loved the family atmosphere and close bonds. Strong’s favorite memory was becoming an All-American. Joe Glubke loved the chance to meet girls. Morgan Walton, who also plays women’s basketball at KCC, ran cross-country while getting ready for the upcoming women’s basketball season.
When the season began, the faces were all new and unfamiliar. But out of that uncertainty and doubt came perhaps one of the greatest inaugural seasons, for their respective sports, that will ever go down in the history of KCC.
