The Ionia Bulldogs traveled to South Christian High School in Kalamazoo for the Regional Championships, racing in crisp 43-degree weather with sunshine and a refreshing breeze that set the stage for an energized morning. Out of 15 competing teams, the Ionia boys raced to a 13th-place finish, while the girls secured 11th place. Across the morning, the teams combined for an impressive 5 personal records (PRs) and 2 season bests (SBs)!
Boys Race Recap
The boys team kicked off the morning at 9:00 AM, leaving everything on the course and pushing for every single place.
- Xander Towery: Led the squad with a fantastic PR time of 17:45.
- Jaxson Wittenbach: Dug deep for a new PR of 19:33.
- Luis Gutierrez: Left it all on the course with a hard-fought PR of 21:50.
Girls Race Recap
Following at 9:30 AM, the girls put together a gritty team performance led by a phenomenal pack-running display:
- Ava Benedict: Led the team to an 11th-place finish, placing 25th overall with a season best time of 20:07.1.
- Elli Larson: Just 3 places behind, crossing in 28th overall with a massive personal best of 20:10.4.
- Aubrey Perez: Ran a strong race to finish 50th with a time of 21:42.7.
- Emma Lange & Starlaena Shattuck: Rounding out our top five in back-to-back fashion, Emma took 80th with a season best of 25:09.6, followed immediately by Star in 81st with another new personal best of 25:13.2.
- Krisalynn Cooper-Fedewa (88th) and Charlotte Whitney (99th) rounded out the varsity pack with fierce sprints to the finish line.
Looking Ahead
While the official Regional meet has wrapped, the Bulldogs aren’t quite done yet! The team is gearing up for one final race of the season in St. Johns on Thursday, November 5, 2026, with the boys and girls competing together at 4:45 PM.