The Story Behind the Kuenner Cross Country Invitational

A bench and brick near the Addison High School softball field memorializes graduate Jennifer Murphy.

By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports

(September 3, 2024 8:29 AM ET) Athletes attend various cross country and track and field meets named after someone from the area each year at various locations.

The Kuenner Cross Country Invitational held behind Addison High School each year is named after former runner Adam Kuenner.

But there are several reminders near the course that life is fleeting for even the young.

Kuenner and Lance Reed were killed by a drunk driver on April 20, 2001. According to court records the driver of the vehicle that killed the two Addison High School athletes crossed the center line on US-127 south of Vandercook Lake at more than 100 miles per hour.

It was revealed that the driver had consumed more than 20 beers during a nine-hour period and his blood alcohol level was .215 – more than twice the legal limit at the time.

According to newspaper accounts, Kuenner and Reed were returning from a movie in Jackson with a group of friends. Those friends – in another car – watched in horror as the car caught fire following the crash.

There is a roadside memorial near the site on US-127.

The Reed family had a long history in the area and were well known. Years later the baseball field at AHS was renamed to Lance Reed Memorial Field.

Runners at the Kuenner Invitational run past the sign on the scoreboard a couple of times during the 5K event.

100 yards away near the softball field, there is a bench and brick memorializing Addison High School student Jennifer Murphy. The 2006 AHS graduate died in an automobile accident.

She was a Jackson College student who had just received a scholarship to play softball at the college.

Her parents often remember Jennifer with dedications on her birthday and other significant days.

Runners pass by the bench during the first mile of the run.

Finally, there is a basketball court near the course – just behind the high school – that is dedicated to Landon Hall. According to news articles Hall died from health complications prior to his seventh grade year in 2018.

So what does it all mean?

The Addison community remembers those who died way before their time with simple reminders – an invitational, field naming, a bench by the softball field, and a basketball court behind the school.

Life is short … run hard and enjoy the moments.