The 2025 SCHS cross country season came to a close on Saturday, November 1, at the MHSAA Division 2 State Cross Country Finals. The weather at Michigan International Speedway was nearly perfect, with partly sunny skies, little wind, and temperatures near 50 degrees. The conditions were ideal for running and spectating, and all were thrilled that it wasn’t raining or snowing! As state qualifiers for the seventh year in a row, the varsity women entered the competition seeded 4th in the state. Perseverance and grit allowed the Lady Sailors to run their seed and finish in fourth place with a score of 203 points, the team’s best finish in twenty years! The ladies finished the season strong, running extremely competitive times. Senior Chloe Rinzema led the way for the ladies. Chloe finished in 24th place with a time of 18:35. The second Sailor to cross the finish line, in 27th place, was sophomore Tiffany DeMaagd with a time of 18:36. Both Chloe and Tiffany earned All-State honors for placing in the top 30! Freshman Lily VanEyk was the third finisher for South Christian, battling to the end to finish in 44th place with a time of 19:05. Freshman Noelle Hulst was the fourth Sailor to step across the line at 19:55, in 92nd place. Freshman Annalise Wiltjer was the fifth finisher for the team, in 94th place, with a time of 19:57. Freshman Isabelle Oostema (19:58; 96th place) and senior Lydia Huisman (20:02; 103rd place) made up the remaining varsity score. Senior Thad VanderLaan and junior Ben Verlin represented the boys’ varsity team at the MHSAA State Cross Country Finals. This marked Thad’s third appearance at the finals and Ben’s first. Thad raced competitively, finishing the race in 16:36 and securing 81st place, a remarkable 50 spots higher than his previous state finals performance. Ben Verlin also delivered a solid performance, running a time of 16:56 and finishing in 134th place. Official meet results can be found at https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/meet/256256/info. The women’s and men’s teams had fantastic seasons with much to celebrate! Both teams hope to continue improving upon this season’s performances and carry this momentum into 2026.