Welcome to the sandy wilds of Owasippe, where the West Michigan Coyotes took on the trails and dominated…fueled by donuts, cookies, and a lot of laughter! This course is known for its extra sandy conditions and those infamous sketchy bridges (seriously, it’s like playing “don’t fall into the drink”), but our team handled it like pros. And for the record, no one took an unexpected swim that we know of…yet.
One of the weekend’s best moments came courtesy of Coach Ryan and his expert nutritional guidance. His top tip? Sugar, lots of it, preferably in the form of donuts and cookies. Who needs fancy gels when you’ve got bakery goods on your side? We’re now 99% sure there’s a direct correlation between cookie intake and race speed.
Speaking of cookies, we upped the fun factor with the cookie game! Picture this: you place an Oreo on your forehead, and without using your hands, you have to wiggle, squirm, and scrunch your face until it ends up in your mouth. It’s as ridiculous (and hilarious) as it sounds, and honestly, we’re amazed no one fell over laughing before the race even started. 😂
Then there’s Gracelyn, who had her own triumph to share. Last weekend at Addison Oaks, she dropped her chain mid-race and yep, she fixed it herself. That’s right, no big brothers required! Coyotes are all about independence and self-repair skills, peeps!
And then there’s Kaitlyn, the undisputed queen of derailleur destruction. After a slow-motion tip-over, she found herself stuck in one gear, with a course marshal advising her not to shift (which, in hindsight, maybe wasn’t the best advice, considering the interesting noises coming from her bike). Still, she powered through the first lap, making it work despite the weird clicks and clanks…until her derailleur finally gave up and completely imploded. One minute she’s cruising, and the next? Enough bike carnage to open a scrapyard. If we didn’t know better, we’d say she was either trying to turn her bike into a unicycle or subtly hinting for Dad to upgrade her to the latest SRAM drivetrain transmission!
The Coyotes came out howling at Owasippe, holding onto our series lead for Elementary and Middle School, and we took a massive jump in points for Middle School this weekend. Between the sandy trails, sketchy bridges, and enough donuts and cookies to fuel a small army, we crushed it. Now, let’s get into the results, where the only thing faster than our racers was how quickly we inhaled those snacks!
Starting with the Varsity Male category, Ray Muehlenz snagged 5th place, locking down that podium spot like an absolute boss! He flew through the course like someone promised him a lifetime supply of donuts at the finish line. And then there’s Drake Marine after taking a pedal straight to the shin in a washed out corner crash (ouch!), most people would’ve thrown in the towel, but not Drake. Nope, he shook it off, probably powered by donut dreams, and came back swinging to finish 13th. Shin pain? What shin pain? Drake powered through like a Coyote on a sugar high, reminding everyone that we don’t quit, even when the trail tries to fight back!
Over in JV Male 11-12th grade, Gavin Peters cruised into 7th place like he had a secret stash of donuts waiting for him at the finish line. Bridger Hoogeveen pulled off his best finish ever in 9th clearly powered by a next-level donut-to-performance ratio. Cormac Staggs who rolled in 20th, rocking an epic dirt mustache that would make any cowboy jealous. That’s not just racing, folks, that’s dedication to style. We’re thinking of adding a “Best Dirt ‘Stache” award next season!
or JV Male 9-10th grade, Camden DeJong snagged 9th like he was chasing down the last donut in the box, while Easton Roberts cruised into 21st, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. But the real birthday boy? Henry Wert rolled into 31st, celebrating his big day by turning the trails into his own personal sandpit. Nothing says “happy birthday” like crossing the finish line covered in sand….who needs cake when they can have a sand shake?
Now for the JV Female rock stars, Sadie James grabbed 1st place after crashing in the first corner, then coming back to dominate the race. Lesson learned: never give up, even if the trail throws you a curveball. Ocean Trierweiler snagged her first-ever podium finish at MiSCA, taking 5th. Way to go ladies!
In the Advanced Middle School Male group, Luke Dewall finished 3rd, with Tristan Hubbard hot on his heels in 5th. The top 5 boys finished within 1.3 seconds of each other, now that’s some tight racing! Will Hughes came in 9th, Cruz Woodbury snagged 10th, and Owen Rookus rounded out the group in 16th.
For the Advanced Middle School Female Coyotes, Reese Drajka took 1st, with Sammy Weaver right behind her in 2nd. Laila Hubbard finished 4th, and Landree Darnell stormed into 6th—another day, another podium sweep for the Coyotes!
In Novice 10th-12th grade Male, Kaden Spitters took 1st because, honestly, does he even know how to finish anywhere but first? Hudson Roberts powered into 3rd, while Sam Baziun nailed 10th with a big “Awesome finish, dude!” vibe. Clark Workman crossed the line in 15th, keeping the Coyotes strong in every category.
The Novice 8th Grade Male race saw Tyler Veley finish a solid 14th, while the Novice 7th Grade Male Coyotes brought the heat, with Sawyer Willink grabbing 1st, followed by Calvin Host in 6th, Jakob Boer in 7th, and Declan Vandewarker rounding out the group in 23rd.
In the Novice 6th Grade Male race, Max Clemo and Liam Cox were neck and neck, finishing 6th and 7th, with Gunnar Larson in 15th, Ryland Modzeleski 17th, and Finn O’Byrne 18th.
The Novice 6th-8th Grade Female crew showed up strong, with Harper Roberts taking 4th, Ellie Pankey finishing 14th, and Lucy Baltruczak rounding out the team in 20th.
Moving to the Advanced Elementary Male group, James Broughton took 2nd place with a strong ride, while Easton Johnson snagged 4th and Raylan Hansma followed closely behind in 5th.
In the Advanced Elementary Female category, Hadley Ruch took 1st place in an absolutely awesome race! First place looks good on you, Hadley.
For the Elementary 5th Grade Male, Michael Eichler came in strong, taking 4th, while Alida Ward grabbed 7th for the 5th Grade Female group.
Over in Elementary 4th Grade Male, Ryder Pankey stormed to 1st place (and yes, we’ve got drone footage of him celebrating as he crossed the line—pure gold), while Camden Host took 3rd place like a true champion.
The Elementary 4th Grade Female team was unstoppable, with Anneke Willink taking 8th and reminding us on socials that she’s a Coyote, so of course, she’s gonna “send it.” Emery Stein came in 13th, and Fiona O’Byrne took 14th with plenty of spirit and determination.
In the Elementary 2nd-3rd Grade Male race, Jeremiah Fisher finished 17th, with Diego Martir 28th, Finn Cote 31st, Emmett Katerberg 32nd, Miles Eicher 34th, Caleb Greiner 38th, and Preston Stein wrapping it up in 41st. Strong efforts all around!
For the Elementary 2nd-3rd Grade Female race, Aspen Trierweiler grabbed 4th, with Lucy Clemo in 8th, Gracelyn Host in 11th, Rainey Broughton in 15th, Winnie Richardson in 16th, and Zollie Watts taking 19th.
Finally, in the Elementary PreK-1st Grade Male group, Titus Broughton sped into 2nd place, Wyatt Johnson grabbed 5th, Zion Woodbury came in 10th, Matthew Gallagher finished 12th, and Layton Watts wrapped it up in 14th.
The Coyotes crushed it once again this weekend full of sand, sugar, and smiles, we’re still on top in the series standings and looking ahead to the next challenge!
Yip, yip.
Full Team Results:
- Varsity Male
- Ray Muehlenz 5th
- Drake Marine 13th
- JV Male 11th-12th
- Gavin Peters 7th
- Bridger Hoogeveen 9th
- Cormac Staggs 20th
- JV Male 9th-10th
- Camden DeJong 9th
- Easton Roberts 21st
- Henry Wert 31st
- JV Female
- Sadie James 1st
- Ocean Trierweiler 5th
- Advanced Middle School Male
- Luke Dewall 3rd
- Tristan Hubbard 5th
- Will Hughes 9th
- Cruz Woodbury 10th
- Owen Rookus 16th
- Advanced Middle School Female
- Reese Drajka 1st
- Sammy Weaver 2nd
- Laila Hubbard 4th
- Landree Darnell 6th
- Novice 10th-12th Grade Male
- Kaden Spitters 1st
- Hudson Roberts 3rd
- Sam Bazuin 10th
- Clark Workman 15th
- Novice 8th Grade Male
- Tyler Veley 14th
- Novice 7th Grade Male
- Sawyer Willink 1st
- Calvin Host 6th
- Jakob Boer 7th
- Declan Vandewarker 23rd
- Novice 6th Grade Male
- Max Clemo 6th
- Liam Cox 7th
- Gunnar Larson 15th
- Ryland Modzeleski 17th
- Finn O’Byrne 18th
- Novice 6th-8th Grade Female
- Harper Roberts 4th
- Ellie Pankey 14th
- Lucy Baltruczak 20th
- Advanced Elementary Male
- James Broughton 2nd
- Easton Johnson 4th
- Raylan Hansma 5th
- Advanced Elementary Female
- Hadley Ruch 1st
- Elementary 5th Grade Male
- Michael Eicher 4th
- Elementary 5th Grade Female
- Alida Ward 7th
- Elementary 4th Grade Male
- Ryder Pankey 1st
- Camden Host 3rd
- Elementary 4th Grade Female
- Anneke Willink 8th
- Emery Stein 13th
- Fiona O’Byrne 14th
- Elementary 2nd-3rd Grade Male
- Jeremiah Fisher 17th
- Diego Martir 28th
- Cote Finn 31st
- Emmett Katerberg 32nd
- Miles Eicher 34th
- Caleb Grenier 38th
- Preston Stein 41st
- Elementary 2nd-3rd Grade Female
- Aspen Trierweiler 4th
- Lucy Clemo 8th
- Gracelyn Host 11th
- Rainey Broughton 15th
- Winnie Richardson 16th
- Zollie Watts 19th
- Elementary PreK-1st Grade Male
- Titus Broughton 2nd
- Wyatt Johnson 5th
- Zion Woodbury 10th
- Matthew Gallagher 12th
- Layton Watts 14th
Full weekend results are here -> RESULTS
Full series results are here -> RESULTS