PANTHER PACESETTERS! DELTON, Mich. — The Delton Kellogg varsity cross country program has hit the ground running this fall, stringing together impressive performances across Southwest Michigan. Boys Squad Storms Out of the Gate The boys varsity team started the campaign on a high note by taking first place at the Lawrence Early Bird meet. They kept the momentum rolling at the Southwest Michigan XC Rustbuster in South Haven, bringing home the second-place trophy with 61 team points. Landon Madden led the team in South Haven with a 5th-place individual finish (17:18.5), followed closely by Malachi Allersma in 8th place (18:00.2) and Jace Hilton in 12th (18:37.4). The squad capped off their opening stretch with an outstanding performance under the Friday night lights at the South Christian "Under the Lights" Invitational. Competing against a massive field, the boys placed 2nd out of 30 teams with 170 points. Madden spearheaded the attack in 8th place overall with a time of 17:04.2, while Allersma (29th, 18:03.5) and Hilton (32nd, 18:09.8) turned in strong varsity scoring. Consistent scoring support throughout the opening weeks from Joseph McCoy, Ayden Jones, Jack Favreau, Trace McCoy, and Lucas Doubledee has proven crucial to the team's pack-running success. Girls Team Builds Solid Foundation The girls varsity squad opened their season with a runner-up team finish at the Lawrence Early Bird meet, scoring 44 points. They followed that up with a 4th-place showing at the South Haven Rustbuster (80 points) and a 20th-place finish among a competitive field at the "Under the Lights" Invite. Senior Riley Perley has paced the Panther girls in every event, claiming 5th place at Lawrence (24:21), 12th at South Haven (24:20.6), and 53rd at South Christian (23:13.8). The squad’s depth has been propelled by varsity scoring contributions from Evelynn Courneya, Madison Gruber, Olivia Vincent, Makayla Lutz, Peyton Danks, and Olivia Gonzalez. Looking Ahead & Recruitment With the fall season just getting started, coaches emphasize that it is not too late for interested students to join the roster. Students can contact Coach Grimes or Coach Ingle by email, or inquire in the high school office for details. The Panthers compete next at the Hopkins Viking Hokum Karem Invitational at 9:45 AM at Jijak Camp in Hopkins, before returning home to host the Delton Kellogg Invitational on September 10th at 5:00 PM at the Gilmore Car Museum.