MIDDLE SCHOOL - ALLERSMA LEADS THE CHARGE: DELTON-KELLOGG SHINES AT PORTAGE INVITATION PORTAGE, Mich. — It was a day to remember for the Panthers at the prestigious 2026 Portage Invitational held at Portage West Middle School. Facing off against a massive, elite field of cross-country runners from across Michigan, Delton-Kellogg student-athletes put on a stellar display of grit, determination, and Panther pride. Allersma Claims Phenomenal Individual Title The highlight of the day for Delton-Kellogg came in the women's 2,500-meter middle school showcase, where seventh-grader Arabelle Allersma put on an absolute clinic. Leaving the rest of the competitive field behind, Allersma blazed across the finish line in a blistering time of 8:42.5, capturing the 1st place overall individual championship. Her dominant run set the tone for the program and electrified the traveling Panther supporters. Panthers on the Course Delton-Kellogg athletes also showed great promise and fought hard across the day's events: Logan Fleser represented well in the men's division, clocking a personal best time of 12:19.5 in the 2,500-meter race. Gavin Doubledee emptied the tank for the Panthers on the boys' side, leaving everything on the course with a solid effort. Madelynn Heeg pushed through the competitive women's field to log a strong finish for the team. From Allersma’s championship-winning performance at the top of the podium to every Panther leaving their personal bests on the 2,500-meter layout, Delton-Kellogg cross country proved it belongs among the elite. VARSITY - Saturday was the day, the Portage Central Invite. This is the largest and most premier regular season invite in the State of Michigan. The DK Boys team competed in a field of 431 runners. Senior Landon Madden continues to shine, improving with his season best run of 16:36.2; this is 1:01 faster than his last year finish where he fell just outside of medaling in 51st place, this year he finally made it to the stage with a 27th place finish and his first PC Invite medal! Madden continues to creep closer to the school record of 16:16! Joseph McCoy ran a 17:48.5 (55 seconds faster than last year) and Jace Hilton 17:58.7 (1:32 faster than last year) both placed in the Top-100! Malachi Allersma had a huge improvement over last year as well, running an 18:12.5 which was good for 1:23 faster than last year. Sophomore Abram Kellogg continues to improve setting a new PB with 18:31.6 and Freshman Trace McCoy set a new PB by :27 seconds with a time of 18:38! Other DK Runners: Ayden Jones 19:13.2, Camilo Gonzalez 19:40.1, Jack Favreau 20:02.8, Carter Cooper 22:26.6, Malachi Martin 23:32.6, Isaiah Kellogg 24:52.9 and Nick Morey with another PB of 27:55.8! The DK Girls team was led by Senior Captain Riley Perley setting another PB with 22:20.8 and Freshman Olivia Gonzalez set a new PB with a time of 22:27.5! Other DK girls; Olivia Vincent 24:48, Peyton Danks 26:02.7, Evelynn Courneya 26:04, Madison Gruber 26:46.9 and Hudsyn Mazur 28:01.9! Great Job Girls!!! The Panthers next meet is this Thursday for the SAC Championship on our home course at Gilmore Car Museum! Boys run at 5 PM and Girls follow at 5:30 PM! Hope to see you there!