ALLENDALE, Mich. — Ronnie Silveira is gearing up for what could be his most important season yet as he enters his senior year at Allendale High School.
Last year's Allendale boys cross country team delivered the town's best performance since 1999, capturing a state championship and breaking a school record in the four-by-800 relay. Silveira was a key member of that record-breaking relay team and is now hoping to bring home another state championship in his final high school season.
WATCH: Allendale cross country star aims for repeat state championship in senior season
"I'm excited to see what I can do. It's my last year, I've got to throw it all out there," Silveira said.
The multi-sport athlete is always on the move. While he's one of Allendale's top wrestlers, it's on the track where he truly shines.
"I knew he was talented, but I didn't realize how gifted he was until I started working with him a couple of years ago," said Phil Jones, Allendale High School boys cross country coach.
In 2024, Silveira helped deliver the school's first state championship in cross country since 1999, and his four-by-800 relay team set a new school record.
"A lot of hard work was put into a lot of team building to the point where we were so connected that if we didn't feel good about running for ourselves, we were running for the guys next to us because we knew how hard they worked, and we always pushed each other during practice to our limits," Silveira said.
Jones first spotted Silveira's potential when he was a recruiter at Hope College and saw him run at a middle school event. The coach said part of the reason he took the job at Allendale was because of Silveira, adding that his work ethic and team-first attitude were instrumental in their successful 2024 season.
"He's an extremely hard worker, and he's extremely tough; you never have to worry about him putting in 100 percent, especially while he's racing," Jones said.
Now in his senior year, Silveira is hoping to repeat his success and bring another state championship back to Allendale, despite facing the challenge of rebuilding with a largely new team.
"I'm excited to run with a new team because we lost a ton of seniors last year, so I'm excited to build with these guys and hopefully give them the experience I had," Silveira said.
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