The North Central Women’s Cross Country team secured their first team win and individual meet champion on Saturday at the Bay College Invitational in Gladstone, MI.  North Central’s runners took the top three spots to secure the team win, led by Charlevoix's Hilary Way.

On a cold and windy race day, the NCMC women proved to be tough competitors both mentally and physically. Way crossed the 5K finish line to lead all runners with a time of 21:36, followed by Kenzie Haas at 22:26 (2nd place) and Korrie Haas at 24:02 (3rd place). Finishing in 8th place and helping secure the team win was Sydney Bess, who posted a time of 31:34.

The team took the top accolade home with a score of 25 points, followed by Bay College at 33, and Kirtland with 45. In just its second year of existence, the team has earned 2nd, 3rd and now 1st place finishes in races against Michigan community college varsity teams.

Coach Rod Anderson was pleased with his team’s effort and had positive remarks following the event.

“All four raced exceptionally well, particularly given the windy conditions,” Anderson said. “As a team, our focus has been on the importance of exceptional effort to meet challenges, even when doing so is not comfortable.  I have no doubt these four women pushed themselves, gave their full effort, and met the challenge of this race.  Their results speak for themselves.”