The 2024 SICL Conference cross-country boys and girls team champions. Front row, from left, Emma Parkinson, Peyton Sharp, Olivia Norrish, Mandeesa Vos, Breah Lowry, Abigail Ver Ploeg; back row, Samuel Terlouw, coach Darin Arkema, Madden Gunsaulus, Keegan Schnell, Colton Alberts, Andrew Arkema, Hendrick Lowry, Evan Arkema, Jordan Dunsbergen, Will Conover, Ethan Dunsbergen, coach Anna Arkema, and Blake Wilmesmeier.
SICL boys and girls team champs. SICL individual girls champion. SICL individual boys runner-up. History-making performances. Seven Hawks finish in the top-10. The list of accolades the Lynnville-Sully cross-country teams accumulated at the SICL Conference XC Meet held at Big Springs east of Searsboro on Tuesday, Oct. 15, is plentiful and one for the record books.
The L-S girls XC team conquered a feat they have been chasing for the last seven years. On Tuesday, they surged to the top with four girls finishing in the top-10, including the SICL individual champion in freshman Mandeesa Vos, to earn the title of SICL Conference Champs. With a total team effort, the L-S boys also claimed the SICL Conference Champs title, marking the first time in 29 years an L-S boys cross-country team has reigned atop the SICL. The husband-and-wife coaching duo of Darin and Anna Arkema knew the potential was high when their competitive group first started logging summer training miles. Every stride and every mile ran as well as every obstacle they have overcome this season – from injury to illness to disappointment – propelled and motivated every teammate to strive for Tuesday’s memorable accomplishment.
