Teamwork and tenacity were on full display by the Sailor Cross Country teams at the 2026 Regional Cross Country Championships on Saturday, October 31. The meet was hosted on South Christian’s premier home course for the fifth consecutive year. The still air and crisp temperatures made for nearly perfect racing conditions and the competition was fierce, arguably the state’s most competitive division 2 region! The boy’s team finished strong in fourth place with a score of 134 points. Leading the Sailors was sophomore Hudson Kemper with a 9th place personal best time of 16:15. Coming in second for the team was senior Ben Verlin in 15th place with a time of 16:35. Hudson and Ben both earned medals for their top 15 finishes. Senior Josiah Rozema crossed the line next in 18th place with a time of 16:45. Sophomore Gage Roodvoets was fourth for the team in 45th place with a personal best time of 18:14. Closing out the score for the team was senior Tyler Buck, also finishing in a personal best time of 18:23 for 49th place. Hudson Kemper, Ben Verlin and Josiah Rozema qualified as individuals and will advance to next Saturday’s State Meet! The girl’s varsity team cruised to a second place finish with a score of 62 points, trailing the state 2nd ranked Grand Rapids Christian team by only 9 points. Junior Tiffany DeMaagd led the sailors with a 2nd place finish in a time of 18:35. Sophomore Noelle battled for 4th place, earning herself a new personal best time of 18:47. Third for the Sailors was sophomore Lily VanEyk, running a time of 19:19. Tiffany, Noelle and Lily all earned medals for their top 15 performances. Sophomore Annalise Wiltjer crushed her previous personal record, coming in fourth for the Sailors at 19:33, good for 19th place. Also running a massive personal record was sophomore Grace Klynstra, finishing in 24th place with a time of 20:01. Sophomore Isabelle Oostema finished in 26th place with a season best time of 20:08. Their second place finish punched the ticket for the 5th ranked Lady Sailors to compete at the State Finals next Saturday. The junior varsity teams competed in the Post Regional Open Meet (PROM) and ran some gritty races, finishing with amazing times! Some of the notable PROM finishes include: Dylan Thome (So.)–19:35 PR Taylor Rottman (So.)--21:09 PR Natalie DeJager (So.)--21:09 PR Abby Scholten (Fr.)--21:29 PR Alexa DeVries (So.)--21:30 PR Delaney Burgess (Jr.)--21:32 SR Kai Peterson (Fr.)--22:18 PR Allison Spronk (Fr.)--22:35 PR William Valkenburg (Fr.)--22:51 PR Leah Bolton (Fr.)--22:52 PR Elizabeth Haverdink (Sr.)--23:34 SR Charlotte Ringnalda (So.)--24:19 PR Nate DeLange (Fr.)--24:29 PR Dani Steenstra (So.)--24:55 PR Grace Wallen (Sr.)--26:34 SR The many excellent performances today are evidence of the hard work and miles that have been put in over the past several months. Congratulations to all the runners who closed out a successful season today! The SCHS girls varsity team and the boys individual qualifiers will compete at the 2026 Division 2 State Cross Country Championships at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, November 7. The boys will run at 1:30 pm and the girls will run at 2:50pm. Go Sailors!