11/25 -- Congratulations to Kelly Carter for earning Cross Country Academic All-State honors.  To be considered for this honor, an athlete must finish in the top half at the State Finals and have at least a 3.5 grade point average. 

11/02 -- BOYS - At the State Finals at the Michigan International Speedway, the boys placed 8th in the Division 2 competition.  The runners representing Sparta in this great team effort were:  A.J. McConnell 16:03; Joe Skripka 16:35; Mike Haskell 16:59; Trent Barnhart 17:09; Tony Shelton 17:31; Zach Kurek 18:00; and Tom Anderson 18:07.  McConnell's 15th place finish earned him All-State honors.  His time of 16:03 is the fastest 5K time in Sparta cross country history, and earns him the #1 spot on the Top Ten Record Board. Skripka's time of 16:35 moved him up to the #5 spot.  Finishing 8th as a team in the state meet was a spectacular finish to a season that saw the Spartans win every dual (8 - 0) in the OK-Gold Conference and also winning the Conference Meet. Great season, guys!

11/02 --  GIRLS - The girls placed 12th as a team at the State Finals.  They were led by senior Kelly Carter's 18th place finish.   This earned her All-State honors for the second year in a row.  Her time of 19:14 placed her in the #2 spot on the Top Ten Record Board.   Carter was followed by: Ashley Greenup 20:07; Carrie Debski 20:09; Sara Young 20:54; Sara Rodgers 20:55; Kaileigh Russo 21:40; and Kim Rodgers 22:16.  Greenup's time put her at #8 on the record board.  The girls had a successful season, losing only one OK-Gold dual meet and placing 2nd at both the Conference Meet and the Regional.   Congratulations, Sparta girls!

10/26 -- At the Regional meet at Sparta, both the boys and girls earned a trip to the State Finals next Saturday at M.I.S. in Brooklyn.  A.J. McConnell paced the boys with a 3rd place time of 16:44.  Also placing in the top 10 were Joe Skripka and Mike Haskell.  Trent Barnhart ran a personal best time of 17:53.  With all 7 runners placing in the top half of the field, the Spartans finished 2nd in the meet behind Fremont.  The girls also finished in 2nd place behind Fremont.  Carrie Debski placed 8th with a time of 20:16, followed by Kelly Carter in 9th place with 20:23.

10/17 -- On a cold and rainy afternoon at Johnson Park, the Sparta boys came away as OK-Gold Conference Champions by edging Wyoming Park by 3 points.  The great team effort was led by OK-Gold Conference Champion A.J. McConnell who sprinted past Park's Mark VanderMeer to win the race in 16:37.  McConnell was followed by great performances from Joe Skripka, Mike Haskell, Trent Barnhart, Zach Kurek, Tom Anderson, and Tony Shelton.  The girls finished 2nd in the meet. Leading the Spartans and placing 2nd overall was Carrie Debski.  She was followed by Kelly Carter, Sara Rodgers, Ashley Greenup, Sara Young, Kaileigh Russo and Kim Rodgers. Top five finishers in the J.V. race were Shannon Upton, Justine Todd, Caitlin Hoseth, Amanda Young and Renee Murdock.

10/09 -- In a double dual meet at Sparta, the boys finished a perfect dual season in the OK-Gold Conference with victories over South Christian and Hastings.  The girls also defeated their two opponents and finished the dual season with a record of 7 wins and 1 loss.  A.J. McConnell led the boys with a time of 16:39.  Trent Barnhart improved his time on the Millenium Milestones with a time of 18:05.  Carrie Debski placed first for the girls with a time of 20:17.

10/05 -- At the Allegan Invitational, A.J. McConnell ran a personal best time of 16:26 to put him in 2nd place on the All-Time Top Ten Record Board.  Trent Barnhart's time of 18:07 raised him to 8th place on the Millenium Milestones.  Carrie Debski ran a personal best time of 19:50 for the girls.

10/02 -- The Spartans ran a double dual against Caledonia and Kenowa Hills at Johnson Park.  The boys won both contests, while the girls defeated Kenowa Hills and lost to Caledonia.  The boys now have a record of 6 wins and no losses in the OK Gold, while the girls are at 5 wins and 1 loss.  A.J. McConnell and Carrie Debski were the top Sparta runners.

09/28 -- At the Carson City-Crystal Invitational, 16 Spartans ran or equalled their personal best times.  On the All-Time Top Ten Record Board, Carrie Debski improved from 9th to 7th place by running a time of 19:53. Ashley Greenup's time of 20:25 earned her the 10th place spot.  For the boys, Mike Haskell improved his time for 3rd place on the Millenium Milestones by running 17:11.

09/25 -- In a double dual at Johnson Park, the Sparta boys and girls defeated Wayland and Cedar Springs.  Both are undefeated in OK-Gold dual meets.  The girls were led by Carrie Debski's 1st place finish in a time of 20:50.  A.J. McConnell placed first for the boys in a time of 16:46.

09/14 -- Sparta hosted the 18th annual Sparta Invitational Cross Country Meet today.  A.J. McConnell's time of 16:31 placed him in a tie for 2nd place on the All-Time Top Ten Record Board.  Also running personal best times at the meet were Trent Barnhart, Tom Anderson, Mike Haskell, Ashley Greenup, Kaileigh Russo, and Justine Todd.

09/11 -- In OK-Gold competition at Cedar Springs, both the boys and girls came out on top over Unity Christian.  The boys won 15 - 47 and the girls won 20 - 37.  The Sparta boys were led by A.J. McConnell with a time of 17:06.  He was followed by Joe Skripka, Mike Haskell, Trent Barnhart, Zach Kurek, Tom Anderson, and Randy Jacobsen.  Carrie Debski led the girls with a time of 20:26.  She was followed by Kelly Carter, Sara Young, Ashley Greenup, Sara Rodgers, Kim Rodgers, and Renee Murdock.  Debski's time earned her 9th place on the All-Time Top Ten Record Board.

09/07 -- The Spartans ran at the Hornet Run at Central Montcalm, where each grade level runs a different race.  For the 12th grade, Kelly Carter placed 4th in a time of 21:38.  Joe Skripka placed 6th for the boys in a time of 17:57.  For the 11th grade, Carrie Debski placed 1st with a personal best time of 20:39.  There were no 11th grade boys participating.  In the 10th grade competition, Kim Rodgers placed 8th with a time of 23:41, and Zach Kurek was 3rd in a time of 18:33.  In the freshman competition, Teri Quinn was 12th in 25:56.  There were no 9th grade boys participating.

09/04 -- In the first OK-Gold dual of the season, both boys and girls were winners over Wyoming Park.  The boys won an extremely close competition, with the final score being 28 - 28.  Sparta won on a tie-breaker thanks to Trent Barnhart's 10th place finish.  Leading the way for the Spartans was A.J. McConnell in a time of 17:46.  He was followed by Joe Skripka, Zach Kurek, Mike Haskell, Tom Anderson, Barnhart, and Randy Jacobsen.  The girls won by a score of 15 - 50 and were led by Carrie Debski's winning time of 21:17.  Debski was followed by Kelly Carter, Ashley Greenup, Sara Rodgers, Amanda Young, Renee Murdock, and Kaileigh Russo.

08/27 -- The season began on a winning note with both the boys and girls placing first at the South Haven Invitational.  A.J. McConnell led the pace for the boys and was the overall champion with a time of 17:31.  Sara Young was the top finisher for the girls, placing 2nd overall in 21:35.