Marx, Huff and Mills lead Bulldogs at Normal Parkside
By Fred Kroner
The top three runners for the Mahomet-Seymour Junior High girls’ cross-country team finished their 2-mile race on Saturday (Sept. 11) at Normal Parkside within one second of each other and the program’s top six were separated by less than a minute.
M-S placed third in the 43-school invitational.
The Bulldogs’ front-runners in a field of 292 competitors were Madalyn Marx (19th in 13 minute and 10 seconds), Anniston Huff (20th in 13:11) and Taylor Mills (22nd in 13:11).
“Our top three athletes, Madalyn Marx, Anniston Huff and Taylor Mills make up one of the most solid front packs in the state,” M-S coach Lisa Martin said. “When looking at results, running enthusiasts will recognize that it generally takes a front-runner with a single-digit score to earn a trophy at a meet like this.
“We don’t have that single-digit score happening for us right now, instead we have three runners who can interchangeably take the lead and work together to lead our strong team. As a coach, it is one of the most reassuring situations to be in, three runners packing it up with the same goal of helping their team. “
The remainder of the M-S varsity unit consisted of Hannah Martin (65th in 14:00), Hadley Grotelueschen (68th in 14:03), Jaci Kellenberger (72nd in 14:09) and Ella Walk (88th in 14:21).
“We also had a solid fourth and fifth (runner) in this meet,” Martin said. “Hannah Martin and Hadley Grotelueschen pushed each other all of the way through the finish line to both earn points that rounded out our third-place trophy.
“Jaci Kellenberger made her Bulldog varsity team debut, finishing soon after Martin and Grotelueschen. Jaci moved here this year and has been an asset to our program. Rounding out our varsity team for the day was Ella Walk, a consistent varsity runner for us this year that had a strong showing against this tough competition.
“What is cool about Ella is that she is running about a minute faster than her best times last year, a very rare accomplishment this early on for a varsity level runner. Our third-place trophy is the result of all seven of these girls working together. The coaches look forward to the continued growth of our varsity teams.”
In the girls’ open race, M-S showed its dominance.
A total of 459 runners stepped to the starting line and the top seven Bulldogs all ended up among the top 20 and with a split between them of less than one minute.
Four of the M-S runners captured top-10 placements, led by Marley Cloward (third in 14:17).
She was followed closely by Kennedy Ashby (fifth in 14:22), Abi King (seventh in 14:26) and Claire Waggoner (ninth in 14:34).
Rounding out the list of the Bulldogs’ leaders were Emma Busch (14th in 14:53), Erika Johnson (18th in 15:03) and Isabel Lietz (20th in 15:10).
“Our open girls runners rocked the course as well,” Martin said. “We had several veteran runners like Erika Johnson, Claire Waggoner, Emma Busch and Isabel Lietz that mixed it up with our sixth-grade runners to bring home seven of the top 20 medals in this race.
“The sixth-grade pack of Marley Cloward, Kennedy Ashby and Abi King is dynamite right now as they learn their potential at every meet they run. Our open race runners continued to cross the finish line looking stronger than ever, many with season and lifetime best times.
“Lainey Howard, for instance, an eighth-grader who has seen steady growth the last couple of years, ran well over a minute faster this meet than her season best time from last year. She is one example of the MANY runners that found themselves with the same results. The cool part of all of this is that our open runners could be the varsity team for most any other team and still do well. It is just that we are deep in talent this year.”
This year, in particular, is an important one for the team’s veteran runners to display their leadership.
“This is the first time that our sixth- and seventh-graders have participated in a meet of this magnitude, with 43 teams present,” Martin said. “Due to Covid regulations last year, our seventh-graders are having to learn alongside our sixth-graders, which is why it is so important that our eighth-graders take the lead with meet-day prep and focus.
“Coaches are thankful for them.”
M-S returns to action with two home meets this week: Thursday (Sept. 16) at 4 p.m. at the Swiss Valley area of the Lake of the Woods in a four-school meet that also includes Holy Cross, Mount Zion and Paxton-Buckley-Loda. On Saturday (Sept. 18), the Bulldog Invitational, also at the Swiss Valley Area, will start at 9 a.m.
