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The cross country season got underway with two solid outings for local runners at the Marshall Invitational on August 25 and the Paul Metcalf Invitational at the Mountain Lake Golf Course. Both meets were held under good weather conditions, with sunny skies and comfortable running temperatures.
At the Marshall Invitational, the girls’ varsity squad was unable to field a full team but still saw strong individual performances. Laiken Farris led the way, placing 5th overall in 19:52. She was followed by Holland Vogel, who ran 22:21 for 22nd, and eighth grader Isabela Schreier, who finished in 26:27 for 36th.
On the boys’ side, the varsity team placed fifth overall with 100 points. Senior Matthew Stapek paced the group with a 8th-place finish in 17:31, while sophomore Aiden Appel was 18th in 18:43. Rounding out the varsity effort were Beckett Stelter in 25th at 20:07, Tyler Reith in 34th at 21:17, Wesley Hause in 36th at 21:20, and Walker Biren in 43rd at 25:40.
In the junior varsity race, freshman Micah Janssen had an impressive showing, taking 8th in 17:32, and eighth grader Carson Sykora clocked 26:19 for 20th. At the junior high level, Cassie Scandrett placed 24th in the girls’ 2150m race in 12:19, followed closely by teammates Tessa Ahlquist in 26th at 12:29 and Hadley Harms in 27th at 12:31. For the boys, Carter Larson had a strong run to take 6th in 8:31, with teammates Cole Appel (15th, 9:22), Garrett Reith (19th, 9:32), Allen Ahrens (20th, 9:33), and Bobby Keller (21st, 10:00) also finishing in the top half of the field.
The Paul Metcalf Invitational brought more success for the teams. In girls’ varsity, Farris claimed the individual title with a firstplace finish in 21:17. Mara Clarke joined her in the top ten with a 10th-place run of 22:25. Vogel added a 16thplace finish in 23:09, while Schreier placed 38th in 26:10.
The boys’ varsity team again placed multiple runners inside the top 40. Stapek finished 6th in 17:37 and Appel followed in 13th at 18:35. Other varsity results included Alex Betz in 29th at 20:00, Stelter in 32nd at 20:18, Hause in 38th at 20:52, Reith in 56th at 22:26, and Yordi Oliverdos in 75th at 24:07.
In the junior varsity races, Janssen continued his strong start to the season by placing 3rd in the boys’ 4000m with a time of 17:15. Sykora took 28th in 26:29. On the girls’ side, Johanna Pickard competed in the JV race and placed 28th in 31:03.
The junior high races also brought strong performances. For the girls, Harms ran 10:44 to finish 27th, followed by Alexis Pickard in 32nd at 11:31, Sophia Hammersma in 33rd at 11:40, Scandrett in 34th at 11:52, and Ahlquist in 36th at 12:08. The boys’ junior high team was tightly packed near the front of the field, with Larson finishing 7th in 8:02, Appel 9th in 8:11, Connor Pieske 10th in 8:13, and Reith 11th in 8:20. Keller rounded out the group in 26th at 8:53.
Both invitationals showcased promising early-season results, with several athletes already establishing themselves among the top competitors. The teams will look to continue building on this momentum as the season progresses.
