Led by an all-state run from Natalie Rosema, Hart's teams both turned in strong performances at Saturday's Division 3 state finals in Brooklyn, setting the stage for a promising 2026.
The Pirate girls' squad finished sixth of 28 teams, two positions higher than its finish in 2024, and the boys' team leapt from 20th place last season to 10th Saturday. Every scoring runner for both teams is poised to return next fall. The finishes marked Hart's 11th girls top-10 finish and the ninth for the boys' team.
The Hart girls cross-country team celebrates placing sixth at Saturday's Division 3 state finals in Brooklyn.
Courtesy Photo
Rosema's 23rd-place finish was the top one for the Pirates in either race, and she set a new personal best time of 19:13.4. Like every other Hart runner returning from last season's state meet, she improved her time from 2024.
Emma Miller, a freshman, was Hart's second finisher, coming in 49th place. Her time was 19:57.4, the second-best of her career.
Alaina Schaner placed 68th for the Pirates and had a time of 20:18.7, the best time of her career outside of the Benzie Central course. Bryn Riley took 92nd place with her second-best career time, 20:41.9, and Luisa VanderZwaag closed out the Pirates' scoring with a time of 21:05.2, taking 123rd place.
Also for Hart, Abigail Studer finished 166th (21:36.2) and Kenai Kokx was 195th (22:18.3).
The Hart boys cross-country team celebrates finishing in 10th place at Saturday's Division 3 state finals in Brooklyn.
Courtesy Photo
In the boys' race, Silas Ackley led the team with a 63rd-place finish, earning a new personal best time of 16:39.1. Aiden Schaner set a new season best time of 16:59.6, placing 92nd.
Mason Opalewski finished 100th and had a personal best time of 17:02.5, and Timothy Wolff had his second-best career time of 17:17.1, finishing 130th - a fraction of a second ahead of teammate Trevor VanderKodde, who also had his second-best time.
Grant Ackley (133rd, 17:18.1) and Carson Ackley (170th, 17:45.2) also finished for the Pirates, posting their second-best career times.
Also in the Division 3 finals, Shelby's Parker Weirich placed 123rd with a time of 17:13.5 - the second-best of his career.
