The Spring Lake girls cross country team delivered a strong performance at the highly competitive Shepherd Blue Jay Invitational, finishing 11th out of 33 schools in the Elite division. Junior Alexis Kotkowicz led the Lakers with a season-best time of 19:20.11, securing 27th place overall. Freshman Kaleigh Clark followed with a personal record of 19:46.87, finishing 45th, while sophomore Cora Parker continued her impressive season, crossing the line at 20:34.05, also a personal record, for 84th place. Junior Meghan Guczwa finished 96th with a time of 20:55.85, while senior Kaitlyn Zonca ran a personal-best 21:14.89 to finish 116th. Freshman Briella Kohley was close behind, placing 117th with a personal record of 21:15.13, and senior Bethany Zimmerman rounded out the top seven, just a fraction of a second later at 21:15.38. The Lakers' 11th-place finish against some of the top teams in the state highlights the team's strength and consistency as they continue to push toward their season goals. In the junior varsity race at the Shepherd Blue Jay Invitational, Spring Lake's Lydia Brown led the way for the Lakers, finishing 24th with a season record of 22:29.42. Just two seconds behind, sophomore Shannon Losee placed 26th at 22:31.04, followed by junior Samantha Conley in 41st, who also set a season record with a time of 22:55.59. Freshman Madeline Vink achieved a personal record of 23:50.74 for 75th place, while junior Avery Kuhlman posted her own PR, finishing 84th at 24:04.37. Several Lakers continued to set personal and season-best times, with junior Julia Klein clocking a PR of 25:12.77 for 123rd place and senior Ada Feasby finishing 140th with a season-best 25:35.66. Seniors Mallory Gwinnup and Sydney Schaner, along with freshman Lucy DeBoer, all recorded personal or season-best times, highlighting a strong performance across the team. The depth of the squad and their continued improvement underscore the Lakers' determination as the season progresses.