Grand River Prep Cross Country

Grand River Prep senior Elijah Lipscomb wearing his Under The Lights Invitational Medal for placing amongst the top runners in his division. (Photo Courtesy, Isela Pronger)

By Cris Greer
WKTV Sports Director
greer@wktv.org

Curiosity about who was faster, he or his best friend, led Grand River Prep senior Elijah Lipscomb into the world of running during middle school.

“I would like to shout out my best friend Levi for getting me into the sport,” Lipscomb said. “I started running in seventh grade when I wanted to compete with my friend to see who was faster. I also wanted to get conditioned for the soccer season, but fell in love with the sport.”

Lipscomb has accumulated a long list of accomplishments in the sport, among them being the fastest season average in school history of 17:46.3 in the 3.1 mile race. He also has the second, third and fourth fastest single race times in school history and was named 1st Team, All Conference in the Alliance League in both 2024 and 2025.

What do you love most about cross country?

“Honestly, it’s self improvement,” answered Lipscomb, who was the team’s MVP the past two seasons. “Setting goals, working towards them, meeting them, then breaking past them. That cycle is what keeps me going. Also, the team and the community is super fun to be around and hang out with.”

Lipscomb considers Coach Seth Pronger to be his mentor.

“Coach Pronger was the main mentor I had. He was there through everything, always curating the best workouts to help me meet my goals.

“In the beginning, it really was just competing against my friends. But through the years, it evolved to more of competing with my friends and against the other teams in friendly rivalries, which is even more fun.”

From Left: Grand River Prep Assistant Coach Junior Tovar; senior Elijah Lipscomb, and Coach Seth Pronger. (Photo Courtesy, Isela Pronger)

Favorite race memory?

“I would definitely say my favorite competition memory was sophomore year regionals,” said Lipscomb, whose favorite athlete is Lebron James. “Duking it out with the top guys at the time on our team and breaking 19 minutes.

“My favorite event is the Allendale Falcon Invitational because it is just the best course to run on. My best finish was definitely at the Alliance League Conference Championship this year, the first time I broke 17 minutes.”

Though he has his sights set on running in college, he wants to pursue his dream major.

“It is hard to find the perfect school to compete for,” said Lipscomb, who has a 4.27 GPA. “My current top choice would definitely be Indiana Wesleyan University. I wouldn’t be able to compete for them right away and would have to improve a lot, but that’s just more motivation. The other school I would love to run for is Spring Arbor University.

“I want to be a software engineer. I have always loved coding, and that is the perfect profession to be able to make software to better people’s everyday life.”

Beyond his prowess in cross country, Coach Pronger said Lipscomb is “a fantastic individual who uplifts and inspires everyone around him. His work ethic and drive for success speak volumes about him.

“He has tremendous character, is incredibly smart, and very passionate about his team.”

The Grand River Prep cross country team with their first place trophy at the Muskegon Catholic Central Mini Invite on Oct. 20, 2025. Elijah Lipscomb was the individual winner as well. (Photo Courtesy, Isela Pronger)

Lipscomb said it’s important for him to make a difference.

“I try to inspire those around me so that they can also fall in love with the sport and use my success as a springboard to do even better,” Lipscomb explained. “I love being in a leadership position because it gives me the opportunity to watch all my teammates improve at rapid rates and be able to help them achieve their goals.”

Outside of cross country, Lipscomb has many other interests.

“I love track, and also enjoy playing soccer and basketball,” said Lipscomb, who works at Mr. Burger part time. “I love video games, software development, and Beyblades.”