Buchanan duo finishes 1-2 at 50th Steve’s Run

Published 4:20 pm Saturday, July 20, 2024

By Scott Novak

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DOWAGIAC — A pair of Buchanan juniors-to-be finished first and second at the 50th annual Steve’s Run in downtown Dowagiac Friday night.

Ashton Smedley and Liam McBeth crossed the finish line hand-in-hand, with Smedley taking first place in the 5K with a time of 18:35 and McBeth the runner-up with a clocking of 18:36.

Carlos Cruz placed third (18:47) and David Jones fourth (19:11).

Another Buchanan runner, Jacob Kuntz was fifth with a time of 19:28.

Agnes Hasler, a South Bend Adams sophomore, was the women’s overall winner with a time of 22:41.

Konnor Ray won the men’s 10K with a clocking of 36:48. Emily Shepherd was the women’s winning with a time of 48:19.

Smedley will be competing for the Bucks for the first time this fall after moving from California. The Smedley name is family to not only Buchanan fans, but southwest Michigan as well. Michael Smedley, who finished ninth overall, and Megan Smedley dominated cross country and in track and field for the Bucks.

“We were communicating throughout the whole race,” Ashton Smedley said. “At the end, we decided to hold hands to get a great picture through the finish. It feels good to have a great community out here.”

“It was hot. The hills in the back were tough, but we did well,” McBeth said. “I just went out and ran, and we ended up being in the front, and we said, ‘all right, let’s finish this.’”

Hasler enjoyed the Steve’s Run experience.

“It was wonderful,” she said. “It was a great course. It was up and down and hilly, but I got through it. I honestly didn’t know it was going to happen. I was at mile two and this guy goes ‘you’re the first girl right now, way to go’ and now here we are. It was a great honor.”

Nearly 300 runners participated in Steve’s Run, which benefits cancer research and scholarships.

Southwestern Michigan College President Joe Odenwald, who in his seventh year, continues to be impressed with the support the event received, not only in Dowagiac, but throughout southwest Michigan and northern Indiana.

“We’re very grateful,” he said. “You think about something that’s been going on for 50 years, it’s amazing. There’s a lot of families that come back every year that do this and that’s really an amazing story. I’ve been here seven years and to see people come back — it’s kind of a reunion every year. I think it’s neat to see several of the Dowagiac Union High School classes pairing their reunions with it — I think it’s special.”

Odenwald thanked everyone involved with putting on the race.

“I think it’s a great thing and we hope to see it live on and support such great causes like cancer research and the Steven Briegel Scholarship,” he said. “I can’t say enough about our sponsors and the Chamber of Commerce and all of their help for making this happen.”

 

(Editor’s note: Leader Publications Managing Editor Maxwell Harden contributed to this story.)

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