By Fred Kroner
The Mahomet-Seymour Junior High boys’ cross-country team had four of the top 11 placers in the eighth-grade division of the Friday (Sept. 3) Chrisman Cowchip Classic.
Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Auggie Gaudio. He placed third in the 74-runner 2-mile race, navigating the course in 11 minutes and 31 seconds.
Each school could enter up to five runners in the races at three grade levels: eighth-grade, seventh-grade and sixth-grade.
The other M-S eighth-grade leaders were: Ethan Peterka (sixth in 11:43), Henry McMurry (ninth in 11:50), Justus Vrona (11th in 12:16) and Preston Sriver (21st in 12:58).
No team scores were tabulated.
In the 81-runner boys’ seventh-grade race, four M-S athletes completed the course in less than 14 minutes, led by Jonathan Franklin. He was sixth in his age group with a time of 13:03.
Other Bulldog leaders were: Jamison Griffen (14th in 13:20), Jack Van Hoorn (16th in 13:28), Liam Noonan (23rd in 13:50) and Gideon Hayter (30th in 14:10).
In the 80-runner boys’ sixth-grade race, the first three M-S finishers came into the chute within 29 seconds of one another.
Setting the pace was Adam Varga. He was 16th with a 2-mile time of 14 minutes and 15 seconds.
M-S’ other competitors were: Dominic Gaudio (19th in 14:22), Liam Burwell (24th in 14:44), Noah Snyder (33rd in 15:33) and Kade Smith (34th in 15:35).
“Cross-country is a sport that takes a lot of conditioning and the younger runners are starting to understand this,” M-S coach Lisa Martin said. “We had several athletes that came to us with a decent amount of base mileage from their summer training and they generally see a steady growth.
“Others will continue to see season-best times that are a minute or two faster each meet because they are just starting to get in shape. No matter the reason for growth, the dedication to a sport like cross-country is something to be admired.
“Keep watching as our young runners find their stride and our veterans continue to lead in a way that promotes team growth.”
Since each school had limited entries (five) in the age-group races, an open race was held for all other junior high runners.
The boys’ open winner was M-S eighth-grader Emmett Kearns in 12 minutes and 16 seconds.
Other Bulldogs to finish among the top-10 for the team, and their times, were: Tucker Loven (12:48), Camden Woo (13:24), Jackson Davis (13:37), Jack Meyer (13:39), Landon Dowers (13:40), Evan Shuff (13:51), Henry Carpenter (13:53), Tate Bode (14:01) and Camden Snodsmith (14:06).
M-S returns to action on Saturday (Sept. 11) at the Normal Parkside Invitational.
