GRAND LEDGE — Ava Schafer put together another all-state season last year as a junior for the St. Johns girls cross country team.
But Schafer wasn't pleased with how things went as she dealt with vocal cord dysfunction that impacted her breathing and rib issues.
Even as she was still a top-10 finisher at the state finals and a top-five placer at the Greater Lansing meet, Schafer wasn't happy with her times from last fall..
This season as a senior, Schafer is back to feeling like herself.
And Saturday, Oct. 17 provided validation for Schafer as she returned to her winning ways at the Greater Lansing Cross Country Championships at Ledge Meadows Golf Course. Schafer finished as the individual champion with a season-best time of 17:40.7. She finished just under 17 seconds ahead of runner-up Clara Cook of DeWitt while breaking 18 minutes for the second time this fall.
"It's exciting to win this again as a senior because my last year, my last season, wasn't too great," Schafer said. "I wasn't very happy with my times at anything so it was nice to come back today and run a season PR and win it."
Schafer closes her high school career as a three-time champion at the Greater Lansing meet. She had a time of 18:32.5 while winning the race as a freshman and finished in 17:32.4 as a sophomore while taking first.
"It was kind of fun to get out there and win," said Schafer, who finished third a year ago at the meet with a time of 18:04.1. "To come back this year and be able to prove myself again (was big)."
Schafer used the hills to her advantage to gain some separation from Cook to stretch out her lead en route to the victory. She said Saturday's race win gives her a boost as she prepares for the final stages of the season with regionals and the state meet on the horizon over the next few weeks.
"I think it really boosts my confidence and also the time I ran — it's really exciting because I know that I can by the next few weeks hopefully run a little bit faster and maybe get a PR at the end of the season," Schafer said.
DeWitt captures team title
Cook, a freshman, helped lead DeWitt to the team title with her runner-up finish. She had a time of 17:57 and was among two freshmen to finish in the top five Saturday. Williamston freshman Annabel Buggia placed third with a school record time of 18:09.4
Olivet’s Tiya Feldpausch was fourth and Lansing Catholic’s Josie Bishop placed fifth.
Grand Ledge’s Ava Montero was sixth, while Pewamo-Westphalia’s Alyssa Kramer, Eaton Rapids’ Remie Ellis, Lansing Catholic’s Anna Drauer and Howell’s Reagan Mason rounded out the top-10 individual finishers.
DeWitt had 110 points while winning the team championship. Lansing Catholic had 123 points to finish as the runner-up, edging Howell by a point. Grand Ledge was fourth and East Lansing took fifth in the team standings.
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on X @brian_calloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: St. Johns' Ava Schafer returns to winning ways at Greater Lansing meet