Cross Country

Brian Knapp SCC Cross Country Invitational Lake City, IA

10/8/2024

– The Southeast Valley Middle School Cross Country team continued its strong season with an impressive performance at their second-to-last meet of the year. The event, held at Lake City Golf Club, saw 12 schools competing on a 2.5 mile course that challenged the athletes with a few big hills during the last mile of the race.

The middle school Jaguar boys swept the board, leaving with a first-place finish. Leading the way for the Jaguar team was August Akins, who finished in first place with a time of 15:53. Other standout performances came from Griffin Vote, who placed third with a time of 16:17, and Kasen Loeffler, running a 17:07, with an eighth-place finish. All three runners secured a season personal record.

The boys’ team as a whole put in a great effort as they ran this course. Jackson Wilson (18:11), Jackson Bintz (18:17), and Brock Peterson (18:18) took 15th, 16th, and 17th place, and rounding out the top 20 placements for the Jags, was Andrew Wanat who took 19th place with a time of 19:23. “Keep going. Don’t stop. As soon as you cross the finish line, it gives you a sense of ‘I knew I could do it’. If you are hurting, just push through, ” Wanat said. Eighth-grader, Eli Rude, was right behind coming in 22nd with a time of 19:39. “These boys have been training hard all season, and it's really showing now,” Coach Lee praised. “We’re incredibly proud of how they’re performing.”

The middle school Jaguar ladies also had an impressive performance. Eighth-grader, Goldie Davis, improved her time immensely and she was able to run away with a first place finish with a time of 17:26. Following the lady leader, were seventh-graders Jaylie Slinker and Aleeyah Hoefer. Slinker came in 24th with a time of 22:53 and Hoefer took 26th with a time of 23:24.

With only one meet left, and it being the conference meet, excitement is building within the team. “The SCC meet gave the team a lot of momentum,” said Coach Peterson. “We’re excited to keep pushing and see what we can achieve in the final race next week.”

In addition to the racing action, the meet provided a great atmosphere for the spectators, who lined the course to cheer on the athletes. “The people cheering me on help me pass someone each time,” Jaylie Slinker remarked. “I focus on the person ahead of me and try to get ahead of them.” Lee and Peterson noted that parents were out in full force, supporting the runners and boosting their morale. “Our parents deserve a big shout-out for their support and encouragement. We have a lot of area to cover to cheer on our kids, so we can’t thank our parents enough for helping us line the course.”

Another important moment to note from the SCC meet was how the value of TEAM was displayed on the course. “Even though I was struggling and wanted to quit at the end, my teammates were there to pick me up,” eighth-grader Jake Wicklein commented. Teammates Max Judson and Mason Newell showcased how every teammate matters when they ran Wicklein to the finish. “When I saw my teammate struggling, I wanted to help push him to succeed, so I told him to run with us and we would all finish together. We would cross the line at the same time and all tie. I thought that would be really cool,” Newell provided. “There are no limits at the end of the race. We just ran as hard as we could,” Judson added. “We are especially proud of how they supported each other throughout the race,” the coaches noted. “It’s moments like these that make this team so special.”

The final meet of the season will take place at Emmetsburg on Thursday, October 17, where the Southeast Valley Middle School Jaguar team hopes to cap off their season with a conference victory.

Male Runners

2.5 Mile Time

Place Out of 52

Season/Personal Record

August Akins