Mahomet-Seymour Cross-Country Takes Third at Lee Halberg Invitational with Five Top-21 Finishers

By Fred Kroner

Five Mahomet-Seymour runners finished among the top 21 on Saturday (Sept. 14) in the 15-school Lee Halberg boys’ cross-country invitational at Springfield’s Lincoln Park.

M-S placed third as a team.

The Bulldogs’ leaders – placing within 20 seconds of one another on the 3-mile course – were junior Auggie Gaudio (12^th in 16:51), junior Henry McMurry (13^th in 16:52), senior Zach Wilcoski (14^th 16:54), senior Lukas Nykaza (20^th in 17:10) and sophomore Tate Bode (21^st in 17:11).

Normal Community won the team title with 61 points, Quincy took second with 76 points. M-S ended third with 80 points.

Liam Burwell (33^rd in 17:40) and Kaleb Kasper (55^th in 19:26) completed the Bulldogs’ varsity lineup.

M-S won the junior varsity portion of the meet with 38 points. Runner-up Quincy totaled 58 points and third-place Normal Community finished with 69 points.

Four Bulldogs secured top-10 finishes, including meet champion Adam Smigielski (first in 17:27), a freshman.

Trailing him were junior Corban McMinn (sixth in 18:00), sophomore Jack Van Hoorn (eighth in 18:10), freshman Kiptyn Fan (10^th in 18:22).

Carter Alderks (13^th in 18:26), Henry Welch (14^th in 18:33), Tayten Gergen (15^th in 18:39), Gavin Fan (24^th in 19:37) and Jackson Koontz (30^th in 20:08 and were other team leaders.

Smigielski, Fan and Alderks all ran career-best 3-mile times.

M-S returns to action on Saturday (Sept. 21) at the Richard Spring Peoria Notre Dame Invitational at Detweiller Park in Peoria.