By Fred Kroner
Mahomet-Seymour runners captured individual honors in three of four races on Saturday (Oct. 1) in the Monticello cross-country invitational at Lodge Park and earned team honors in all four races.
In the 17-school girls’ race, M-S ended with a team total of 59 points to outdistance runner-up Shelbyville (125 points) and third-place Mount Zion (129 points).
Taylor Mills continued her winning streak, running the 2-mile course in 12 minutes and 35.2 seconds. There were 133 finishers.
Other Bulldog participants in the varsity race were Anniston Huff (ninth in 13:01.1), Jaci Kellenberger (11th in 13:10.9), Ava Watkins (12th in 13:12.7), Norelle Eilts (26th in 13:40.2) and Zoey Wallace (37th in 13:58.4).
In the open race, M-S ended with a team score of 16 points. Shelbyville was next (64 points) and Tolono Unity was third (87 points).
Bulldogs Emma Busch and Claire Waggoner were the top two runners in the 198-person girls’ open race.
Busch was the winner, covering the 2-mile course in 13 minutes and 49.5 seconds. Waggoner was the runner-up in 13:51.4.
Other teammates in the top 20 were Kennedy Ashby (third in 13:54.9), Cecily Smith (fourth in 13:56.1), Finley Smith (sixth in 13:58.4), Paige Jansen (seventh in 13:58.7), Emily Ramirez (eighth in 14:01.9), Alyssa Gray (ninth in 14:04.7), Erika Johnson (11th in 14:16.7), Ava Cvengros (12th in 14:19.6), Emma Dewitt (13th in 14:20.8), Evie Hillard (14th in 14:23.0), Ayla Finfrock (18th in 14:34.2), Phoebe Graham (19th in 14:38.8) and Lilly Meyer (20th in 14:47.4).
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In the boys’ varsity division, M-S had a team tally of 53 points to far outdistance runner-up Urbana (149) and third-place Mount Zion (164).
Tate Bode was the top Bulldog, winding up third in a race with 158 participants in 11 minutes and 2.4 seconds.
Following him were teammates Tayten Gergen (ninth in 11:42.1), Cody Moen (10th in 11:43.7), Noah Crane (12th in 11:51.4), Adam Smigielski (25th in 12:20.4) and Jack VanHoorn (39th in 12:39.7).
The JV Bulldogs compiled a perfect score (15 points), capturing all of the top 14 positions in a 206-runner race.
Liam Noonan (12 minutes and 20.3 seconds) and Dominic Gaudio (second in 12:29.8) set the pace for M-S.
Other team leaders were Grant Morphew (third in 12:36.3), Jamison Griffen (fourth 12:41.4), Liam Burwell (fifth in 12:44.6), Caleb Zulauf (sixth also in 12:44.6), Kiptyn Fan (seventh in 12:57.3), Gideon Hayter (eighth in 12:59.4), Carter Alderks (ninth in 13:03.4), Will Bednar (10th in 13:06.9), Jackson Koontz (11th in 13:14.9), Elliott Smith (12th in 13:17.9), Izaiah Brotherton (13th in 13:25.2), Caleb Atteberry (14th in 13:26.4), Blake Patrick (16th in 13:27.5) and Wyatt Bell (23rd in 13:45.6).
Following the Bulldogs in the 13-school team chase were Urbana (63 points) and Tolono Unity (125).
M-S returns to action at 10 a.m. on Saturday (Oct. 8) in a 17-school IESA sectional at Lake of the Woods.
