By John Raffel
David Dantuma isn’t sure his Crossroads Charter Academy track and field team can win another Division 4 state title, but the senior is confident that he and his team can have another strong showing at the state meet at Jenison High School in June.
Dantuma played a major role on the Crossroads team that tied for the state title a year ago. He was on the first-place 3,200-meter and 1,600-meter relay teams, and he took second in the 800-meter run.
After finishing seventh in the cross country state finals last fall, Dantuma was ready to have another big track season.
“For track, I haven’t been doing that great,” he said. “I’m hoping for a breakthrough meet at regionals.”
That’s what happened. Dantuma went 4:23.18 for first in the 1,600-meter run and first in the 800-meter run in 2:02.76. He indicated that in the 1,600-meter run, his finish is usually his strength. He regards the 800 as his second-best event. Last year, his best time was 1:58, and he was hoping to get it below two minutes at the regional.
“I’ve been better the last few meets,” he said.
Crossroads also won the 1,600-meter relay and was third in the 3,200-meter relay at the regional.
During the season, Dantuma ran a variety of events, including the 3,200-meter run, in which his best time was 9:49 at the Shepherd Blue Jay Invitational. He figures he’s been in about every event except for the 100-meter dash, the jumps, and the pole vault.
Crossroads was beaten by Evart 146-118 for the regional title.
The Cougars aren’t necessarily focusing on another state title. “It’d be tough. We’d have to win the 4 by 8 and 4 by 4,” Dantuma said, adding that it would probably be necessary to get a couple of first places in his open events. “This year, it’s difficult. The best case scenario is fourth or fifth. That’s my guess.”
After high school, Dantuma would like to run track somewhere, but where is up in the air now, with schools like Ferris State University and Spring Arbor University as possibilities. He’s hoping to continue to run cross country and track.
But he won’t soon forget his track career at Crossroads. It’s made him a more disciplined individual, Dantuma indicated.
“It’s been rewarding it’s changed my life,” he said. “I started getting better grades. I started realizing the upside of working hard.”