Holland Reporter

Grand Valley State University's cross country teams commenced their 2024 season at the Spartan Invitational in East Lansing, Michigan. Both the men's and women's teams secured second place, finishing behind Michigan State.

The women's team scored 31 points, narrowly trailing Michigan State's 28 points. The men's team recorded 41 points, coming in second to the Spartans' 23 points.

Senior Caleb Futter led the men's collegiate 8k race with a time of 24:42.3. Reflecting on his performance, Futter stated, "Normally it's hard to get started for the season. It's a big deal to come out here and actually do what I planned to do."

Abby Olson, a transfer from Butler University, spearheaded the Lakers in the women's collegiate 6k with a second-place finish at 21:32.1. Following closely was sophomore Allie Arnsman with a third-place time of 21:34.7. Olson remarked on her approach to the race: "I wanted to go into [the race] in a good position, work with my teammates [and] finish hard at the end." She highlighted that it was a collective effort by the team.

Senior Maria Widmann achieved a personal-best time of 22:34.5 in the women's 6k event, placing her in 21st position. Jordyn Hopgood also set a personal record with her time of 22:44.7.

Overall, five athletes from Grand Valley finished within the top ten positions across both events. Nearly all female runners from GVSU placed within the top fifty finishers, while fourteen out of twenty-five male runners achieved similar results.

The next competition for Grand Valley's cross country teams is scheduled for Saturday, September 28th at the Calvin Knight Invite hosted by Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan.