BROOKLYN — Hart finished its girls cross-country season with a solid effort Saturday at the Division 3 state finals meet at Michigan International Speedway, taking 11th place as a team and sending senior Natalie Rosema out as a two-time all-state runner.
The Pirates missed out on their goal of a top-10 finish, but were largely pleased with their results, especially from Rosema, who ran a time of 19:11.2 and finished two spots ahead of her 2025 standing.
"I feel really good about what I've done," Rosema said. "At the beginning of the year, I wanted to get sub-19 (minutes) in my regionals race and I was able to get that. I feel like I've gotten a lot accomplished.
I'm proud of (the team) overall. This whole season, we struggled a little bit at the beginning, but overall, we've been doing a lot better towards the end, and everyone's been staying healthy."
Alaina Schaner was the second Pirate to finish, coming in 72nd place with a time of 20:12.7. Bryn Riley placed 88th (20:27.2) and Luisa VanderZwaag was 123rd (20:51.2). Emma Miller rounded out Hart scoring in 129th place (20:54.8). Lola House ran for the Pirates and took 168th (21:33.2), and Viviana VanAgtmael was 243rd (24:14.7).
Rosema was the only senior on a very young team, and her leadership helped the Pirates continue an impressive string of qualifying for the state meet for 13 straight seasons.
"She's been a great asset, always positive," Hart coach Calvin Ackley said. "She's kind of a a quieter leader, but what she does for the girls with her attitude, always encouraging. After every workout, she's the first girl to high-five everybody. Likewise with the boys, culture, how they motivate each other, it's just fantastic."
Rosema said taking on that leadership role has been fun for her despite the extra challenges.
"If there was more pack running, or if there were people (on the team) closer to or even better than me, it'd be easier for me to challenge myself more, but at the same time, I like taking on that leader role," Rosema said. "It's fun to guide my teammates and show by example."
Without Rosema next fall, things will be much different for the Pirates, but Ackley said the team gained a lot of motivation by seeing what a summer of hard training did for the Hart boys. As in every sport, the biggest gains are made in the offseason, so if the Pirate girls carry that motivation with them the next several months, it could produce even better results next year.
"They're determined to lock in, as they said, to put in a better summer, and I think they'll get the results they want," Ackley said.
Soelberg, Case represent county individually
Shelby's Lydia Soelberg and Pentwater's Bailey Case represented their schools as individual qualifiers at the Division 3 state finals meet. Soelberg placed 114th in the Division 3 race, while Case was 120th in the D-4 race.
Soelberg's time of 20:40.8 was her second-best of the season, and her best outside the super-fast Benzie Central course since last year's conference jamboree at Mason County Central.
Case finished her Falcons' career by running a time of 22:18.4.
