Nov. 12, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Audrey Meyering was drawn to GRCC for two reasons.
“The Culinary Arts program is competitive and provides all the necessary steps needed to be successful in the workforce after college,” she said. “Another reason for choosing GRCC is for its Athletics program.
“The cross country team has coaches who are dedicated to getting their runners the education they deserve while also pushing them to achieve their personal goals in a sport and team aspect.”
During last year’s season, Meyering was named an NJCAA All-American. One of her favorite GRCC memories is racing in the NJCAA Division I National Championship with the women’s team, which finished 23rd out of 38 teams.
“For me, it was so rewarding to see all the hard work the team and I put into the season result in such a success,” she said.
Meyering, who again earned All-MCCAA and All-Region XII honors this season, will likely add to those great memories when the team returns to national competition Nov. 13 in Richmond, Va.
She and her sister, Liz, also a member of the team, are from Middleville and graduated from Thornapple-Kellogg High School.
Cross country has also given her a way to help in the community: The team has volunteered at John Ball Zoo, setting up for its “Wizarding Weekend,” and at area running events.
“It was very rewarding to see the families have such a great experience being immersed in the fictional world of Harry Potter,” Meyering said. “For the two running events, the team and I helped out by cheering on the runners, serving hot dogs, and passing out medals. As a runner, it was very motivational to see people of all sorts come out and compete.”
Meyering plans to continue her running career when she enters the workforce.
“At the current moment, I am just focused on getting my associate degree in Culinary Arts,” she said. “I have aspirations to be a pastry chef and work in the baking and pastry arts industry.”