By Fred Kroner
In three separate races, members of the Mahomet-Seymour Junior High girls’ cross-country team placed among the top 25 percent of all finishers in the Friday (Sept. 3) Chrisman Cowchip Classic.
No team scores were tabulated.
Separate races were held for eighth-graders, seventh-graders, and sixth-graders. In all three races, the first M-S individual finisher placed fourth.
In the 76-runner eighth-grade girls’ race, Madalyn Marx ran the 2-mile course in 13 minutes and 6 seconds.
Teammates trailing her were: Hadley Grotelueschen (ninth in 14:06), Ella Walk (10th in 14:06), Isabel Lietz (12th in 14:26) and Jinan Abdo (20th in 15:08).
In the 80-runner seventh-grade girls’ race, Taylor Mills set the pace for the Bulldogs, running the 2-mile course in 13 minutes and 19 seconds to capture fourth place.
Other M-S leaders were: Anniston Huff (seventh in 13:36), Hannah Martin (10th in 13:59), Jaci Kellenberger (12th in 14:08) and Claire Waggoner (20th in 14:36).
In the 66-runner sixth-grade girls’ race, Bulldogs Kennedy Ashby and Marley Cloward were in the lead pack at the finish.
Ashby ran fourth in 14 minutes and 2 seconds. Just behind was fifth-place Cloward in 14:17.
The team’s other leaders were Abi King (seventh in 14:23), Cecily Smith (14th in 15:04) and Annaleise Ruzich (15th in 15:20).
“Coaches are thrilled with the efforts of every single athlete that participated,” M-S coach Lisa Martin said. “Nearly every runner had a season-best time or close to it.
“Of course, we finally had nearly perfect weather, if you like 75 degrees and no wind that is. However, the coaching staff credits the season-best times to the hard work spent throughout our first month of training.”
The layout at Chrisman is different from any other course teams will see during the season. The meet got its name because the field adjacent to the high school is used as a cow pasture until the day before the competition when the animals are relocated to a separate area away from the athletes.
“This course isn’t easy – dodging cow patties and fighting some tough uphill stretches – and it is different than all of the courses that we have raced on so far this season, with all of them being flat,” Martin said. “Experienced runners know that hills can be a huge advantage.
“Solid training and preparation give the runners an edge on the uphill portion and the enjoyment of coasting down a hill can be an energy boost.
“In fact, in the words of veteran runner Mollie Schifo, “I hope we have way more courses like this with lots of hills!” The athletes worked hard last week during training in preparation for these conditions and that hard work paid off.”
Since teams were only able to enter five runners in the eighth-, seventh- and sixth-grade races, there was a separate open race for runners of any grade level.
The girls’ overall open winner was M-S seventh-grader Emma Busch. Her 2-mile time was 14 minutes and 31 seconds.
Joining Busch as one of the Bulldogs’ top-10 finishers in the open race, and their times, were: Erika Johnson (14:51), Adella Bird (15:17), Camryn Nelson (15:22), Caroline Mercer (15:46), Cora Tandy (15:48), Emily Ramirez (15:50), Zoey Wallace (15:52), Cassia Sperry (15:56) and Allie Dilger (15:57).
M-S returns to action on Saturday (Sept. 11) at the Normal Parkside Invitational.
