Mahomet-Seymour Cross Country wins Parkside Invite
By Fred Kroner
Mahomet-Seymour’s junior high boys’ cross-country team swept to victory on Saturday (Sept. 10) in the 53-team Parkside Invitational, at Maxwell Park in Normal.
M-S had a composite score of 87 points. Runner-up Glenwood ended with a score of 158 points.
In a field of 369 runners, six Bulldogs secured top-40 finishes, including three who completed the 2-mile race in less than 12 minutes.
Team-leader Tate Bode placed fifth with a time of 11 minutes, 13.3 seconds. Eighth-place finisher Cody Moen was timed in 11:24.6 and Noah Crane captured a 14th-place finish in 11:43.3.
Other Bulldogs in the varsity lineup were Adam Smigielski (27th in 12:07.9); Tayten Gergen (33rd in 12:16.1); Jack Van Hoorn (36th in 12:19.2) and Liam Noonan (202nd in 13:45.1).
“The secret to this team’s success is similar to our girls’ varsity structure,” M-S coach Lisa Martin said, “Eighth-grade leaders Tate Bode and Cody Moen worked hard in the off-season and it is paying dividends for their own personal growth, while propelling our team to top honors.
“Noah Crane took a chance and joined us in cross-country this season as a seventh-grader only to find out how strong of a cross-country runner he is. Running our fourth spot for us was Adam Smigielski. Adam ran on the team last year, which was the strongest in school history, silently watched and learned and is now scoring some important points for us.
“Rounding out the top five was Tayten Gergen. Tay is another athlete that joined us this year as a seventh-grader. His energy and excitement adds way more to our dynamics than anything. His energy is contagious, and his teammates benefit from that. To know that we have Jack Van Hoorn running on Tayten’s heels is reassuring in that we know this is a strong duo that will push each other to do great things. Liam Noonan ran a great race, rounding out our varsity lineup.”
In the 41-school boys’ open race, M-S finished second to Glenwood in the team chase, 72-95.
Bulldog Grant Morphew was the individual runner-up, covering the 2-mile course in 12:42.1.
Other Bulldogs in the top 60 in a race where 589 runners finished were: 18th: Caleb Zulauf (18th in 13:21.3); Jamison Griffen (21st in 13:23.4); Dominic Gaudio (23rd in 13:24.7); Carter Alderks (32nd in 13:38.8); Liam Burwell (37th in 13:42.6); Kiptyn Fan (39th in 13:42.7); Jackson Koontz (56th in 14:01.2); and Caleb Atteberry (58th in 14:03.2).
“Grant watched three races before he had the chance to go to the line, learning from all them and strategizing for the perfect race,” Martin said. “Caleb Zulauf, also a sixth-grader, earned a medal in the open race. The future looks good for our team.”
In the girls’ varsity race, M-S ran third in a 44-team field.
Meet champion Glenwood totaled 23 points, followed by Martino (144) and M-S (172).
Two Bulldogs were among the top 10 in a race featuring 311 finishers.
Taylor Mills was eighth in 12 minutes, 30.6 seconds, just ahead of teammate Anniston Huff (ninth in 12:32.7).
Rounding out the varsity lineup were: Ava Watkins (44th in 13:36.3); Kennedy Ashby (58th in 13:51.3); Cecily Smith (59th in 13:52.9); Jaci Kellenberger (68th in 14:01.3); and Emma Busch (120th in 14:34.8).
“The secret to our success,” Martin said, “is the hard work that our leaders put in this summer to prepare for this season. Eighth-grade leaders Taylor Mills and Anniston Huff bring their ‘A’ game to every single meet.
“With each meet, they build confidence and get stronger as they navigate the course and competition as a team. The addition of Ava Watkins, an eighth-grader who moved in this year has definitely been an unanticipated bonus who has also filled a space that pulls our team together.
“We are excited for seventh-grade leader, Kennedy Ashby, to pack it up with Ava so they can be that next duo. Not to be left out, the trio of Jaci Kellenberger, Cecily Smith and Emma Busch are running 5, 6 and 7 and pushing each other to close the gap between our 4 and 5 runners. Thankful for this group of hard-working athletes. They make our team stronger.”
In the girls’ open race, M-S took first in a 37-school event.
The Bulldogs’ composite score was 55 points. Runner-up Glenwood came in at 83 points.
A total of 564 runners completed the 2-mile course, including 11 from M-S who placed among the first 30 finishers.
The team-leader was Hannah Martin, whose 2-mile time was 14:37.6. She placed eighth and was one position ahead of teammate Finley Smith (ninth in 14:39.5).
Trailing them were Claire Waggoner (11th in 14:42.7); Evie Hillard 12th in (14:43.2); Emily Ramirez (15th in 14:45.6); Alyssa Gray (16th in 14:46.2); Erika Johnson (17th in 14:47.1); Emma Dewitt (19th in 14:49.3); Zoey Wallace (21st in 14:56.0); Norelle Eilts (27th in 15:02.0); and Ava Cvengros (28th in 15:03.2).
Those 11 M-S runners entered the finish chute within 26 seconds of one another.
“This is the strongest pack that we have,” Martin said. “It is so fun to watch them race as they continue to trade places, but yet encourage each other.”
Dewitt was the team’s first sixth-grade finisher.
“Honestly, the best part wasn’t even the awards ceremony where we were awarded a lot of hardware,” Martin added. “It was watching the athletes support each other.
“This team gets it. They really do. Watching them run back and forth with excitement is such a great feeling for the coaches. The families are supportive of this environment and that is where our strength lies.”
M-S returns to action with two home meets this week. On Thursday (Sept. 15), the school will host a four-school meet at Lake of the Woods. On Saturday (Sept. 17), they will host the Bulldog Invitational, also at Lake of the Woods.
“My favorite quote of the day came from Tayten Gergen,” Martin said. “While chatting on the bus ride home, Tay mentioned that teammate, Jack Van Hoorn, thanked him for helping him reach his personal record.
“Jack recognized the fact that Tayten found a way to persevere when he was struggling in the middle of his race. At the 1-mile mark, the coaches encouraged Jack to push toward Tay. Well, Tay found a kick and Jack pushed through and continued to work to catch up to his teammate.
“The end result was a personal record by both runners. This is how teamwork happens in cross-country. The coaches are proud of all of the runners. It was a hot day for our open race athletes as the morning heated up, they found a way to persevere.”
