Mills and Anand Lead Mahomet-Seymour to Third-Place Finish at Clinton Invitational with Career-Best Performances

By Fred Kroner

Sophomore Taylor Mills and junior Emily Anand both ran career-best times on Saturday (Aug. 31), helping the Mahomet-Seymour girls’ cross-country team to a third-place finish in the 15-school Clinton Invitational.

Mills captured fifth place in the 118-runner event with a 3-mile time of 18 minutes and 15.32 seconds. Anand was 11^th, covering the distance in 18:54.21.

The remainder of the M-S varsity lineup consisted of three freshmen and two seniors.

Trailing Mills and Anand were freshman Cecily Smith (23^rd in 19:50.78), freshman Kennedy Ashby (33^rd in 20:17.83), senior Chloe Bundren (37^th in 20:26.76), senior Morgan Waisath (42^nd in a career-best 20:51.87) and freshman Finley Smith (45^th in 20:58.50).

Waisath’s time was 49 seconds better than her previous best.

Team honors were won by Rochester (67), followed by Shelbyville (92) and M-S (104).

“The freshmen, running their first 3-mile race, looked calm,  cool and collected and set very high initial marks,” M-S coach Jama Grotelueschen said.

In the open race, M-S leaders were Ava Jansen, Emma Frazier and Emmaline Culp. They each secured top-10 finishes and ended the race within 29 seconds of one another.

Jansen was sixth (22:23.61), Frazier was seventh (22:35.99) and Culp was ninth (22:52.16).

Rounding out the Bulldog lineup in the 81-runner girls’ open race were Caroline Allen (16^th in 23:24.23), Selma Tilton (29^th in 24:47.12), Ruby Anderson (33^rd in 25:15.82), Blaire Gabel (37^th in 25:33.37), Grace Bednar (45^th in 26:07.14) and Camryn Nelson (49^th in 26:26.40).

M-S returns to action on Saturday (Sept. 7) at the Charleston Invitational.