It’s been 22 years since Cedar Springs won a conference title in girls’ track.
The drought has ended.
Sisters Kenzie and Katie Weiler netted some key points for the Red Hawk girls in their successful efforts to win the O-K Blue Conference meet in mid-May at Belding and take home the title.
Three-event winner Kenzie Weiler, a freshman, was a major spark for the Red Hawks. She won the 1,600-meter run in 5:09.80, the 800-meter run in 2:21.25 and the 3,200 in 11:40.49. Her sister Katie was second in each of those events.
Cedar Springs also won the 400-meter relay in 51.67 seconds. Cedar Springs posted 128 points, compared with 112 for West Catholic.
“The girls did a great job this year,” said Cedar Springs coach Robert Neier. “Whatever event we’ve put them in, even if they stepped out of their comfort zone at times, they’ve stepped up. It paid off in the end.”
“We’re all really happy about it,” Kenzie said. “Everyone on our whole team stepped it up and finally got our ultimate goal. We were pretty happy about that.”
That includes her sister Katie, a junior, in her third year for the track team.
“The new additions to our team helped us a lot,” she said. “We really wanted it this year. We’re motivated to win and we’re working harder in practice. We were in events that we don’t normally do to score more points.”
Kenzie qualified for the state meet in Division 2 in the 3,200-meter run. Her best time has been a 10:47, which she netted at regionals.
“I’m just hoping to be competitive, run a good time, maybe a PR, and get all-state,” she said. “I know it’s going to be a warm day. That might affect the times a little bit.”
“We have four or five strong milers,” Katie Weiler said. “We have a lot of depth in our distances.”
But regardless, Kenzie and her teammates are going to remember winning the O-K Blue title for a long time.
“I don’t know if we expected it at the beginning,” she said. “But as the season went on, we started doing well in our conference and figured out we at a shot at it, and we got motivated.”
“We were confident the girls would do what they needed to do,” Neier said of the two-day meet. “The kids did what they’ve done all year long.”
Connor Mora had an impressive day in leading Cedar Springs boys to second place in the O-K Blue meet behind Sparta. He anchored the first-place 3,200-meter relay team, and won the 800-meter run in 1:57.42, the 1,600-meter run in 4:26.47, and 3,200-meter run in 9:37.61.
“I was quite happy,” Mora said. “I came in feeling pretty good. We had a strong relay time.”
Mora’s best event may have been the 3,200-meter run.
“I was a little surprised by it,” he said. “I went out and took it easy, staying with the top pack. I saw what I had left at the end and used it.”
He almost didn’t run the 3,200. “I contemplated it, and then I just decided to go for it to give it a shot,” he said. “I would have never been able to do what I’ve been doing this season without my coaches and everyone who has been supporting me, having faith in the Lord, my family, and friends, and staying strong this season.”