LocalSportsJournal.com

The Hart girls cross country team, led by the four Ackley family members, literally raced past the competition and won the Division 3 state championship on Saturday at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

Hart’s Adelyn Acjkley, who won her second straight individual state title on Saturday.

The Pirates were led by standout junior Adelyn Ackley, who finished first overall and won her second straight individual state championship.

The Pirates finished with 55 team points, easily outdistancing second-place Benzie County Central, which had 124. Calvin Christian was third with 137, Saugatuck was fourth with 178 and Clare was fifth with 195.

Ackley also ran away with the individual competition with a time of 17:49.4. Shepherd’s Amber Gall was second with a time of 18:16.2 while Kent City’s Lauren Freeland was third with a time of 18:44.2.

Two other Hart runners finished in the top 10, and both were Ackley’s sisters – Savannah Ackley, who finished sixth (18:51.3) and Alayna Ackley, who finished seventh (18:52.0).

Lynae Ackley, a cousin of the Ackley sisters, finished 20th overall with a time of 19:23.7.

Rounding out the lineup for Hart were Brenda Aerts (27th, 19:51.7), MacKenzie Stitt (39th, 20:11.9) and Lalya Creed (59th, 20:36.6).

North Muskegon’s Isabella Lindsay finished eighth overall with a time of 18:57.1.

All runners in the top 30 earned All-State honors.