By Kevin Gartman
Head Cross Country Coach
PLEASANTVILLE – Here are highlights of our competition at the Pleasantville Invitational on Monday, Sept. 16:
- Career personal records: Jusiah Wetering (in his first time breaking the 20:00 barrier) by 12 seconds; Cade Lowry by 1:23, Dayton Reif by 7 seconds, Sophia Semprini by 15 seconds, and Karlee Knust by 3:51 (just your typical meet-to-meet cut, nothing crazy to see here).
- Season PRs: Ellen Cook, Claire Erselius, Cael Cheney, Bryson Stockman, Linkyn Bru.
- All boys finished in the top 65 out of 134 runners – our boys’ pack keeps steadily climbing together, and there’s a lot of confidence built in a meet like today when you take out the 3A and 4A competition!
- Our girls spread (time difference between first and last runner) was the strongest yet this year
- Our first junior high medalist in Jaxon Young! Glad we had you at cross country and not football today!
- Luke Benson cut 1:26 off his time on this course from last year!
- The junior high girls battled strong on a half mile longer course, running as a pack through some areas, and finding ways to finish with strong times despite the longer course! It pays to keep running!
While the course is a fast one, the sun and heat were still a factor, but as I told many of the kids tonight – as they’re learning to finish hard in the heat, it’ll make them that much faster when it cools off later in the year.
I’m not sure if this was a state qualifying meet preview for our high school athletes but if it was, I’m sure many of them will welcome another shot at the course come October.
Proud of everyone and everyone has something to be proud of tonight!
Pleasantville Invitational
Middle School Boys 3,200
No Braves team score – 9, Jackson Young, 10:49.07. 34, Luke Benson, 12:42.94. There were 58 runners.
Middle School Girls 3,200
Montezuma 5th of 7 teams – 14, Brea Cheney 12:48.75; 23, Lucy Semprini 13:40.48; 24, Alyssa Latcham, 13:436.40.; 25, Lexi Urfer 13:53.63; 42, Keegan Gustafson, 16:36.43. There were 59 runners.
Varsity Boys 5K
Montezuma 7th of 13 schools – 30, Jusiah Wetering 19:54.71.; 37, Cade Lowry 20:17.02. 44, Cael Cheney 20:34.74; 58, Dayton Reif 21:17.51; 62, Linkyn Bru 21:34.35; 65, Bryson Stockman 21:43.85. There were 100 runners.
Varsity Girls 5K
Montezuma 8th of 10 schools – 20, Ellen Cook 22:15.25; 39, Claire Erselius 24:47.35; 43, Alexa Rose 25:06.58; 55, Sophia Semprini 27:06.63; 62 Karlee Knust 27:54.59; 64, Haileah Eichenberger 28:27.44. There were 91 runners.
