The middle school cross country team competed in cool, drizzly conditions this week at the

ACGC Invitational at Guthrie Center on a true cross country course featuring hills, grass, and a

variety of challenging terrain. “It was a challenging course, but a fun course, and everyone stood

up to the challenge. Now they have a story to tell,” said Coach Danny Lee.

Seventh-grader Ava Eaton had an especially strong performance, setting a personal record.

Eaton stated, “The hills are hard, but the finish line is worth it. I started cross country because I

love running. Being the first Jaguar to cross the finish line, I felt pretty good about myself, and it

definitely helped my confidence. If you don't think you can do it, if you keep trying and believe in

yourself, you will be able to do it." Her effort was a great example of the progress that can come

from consistent practice and determination. Returning eighth-grader Eli Bird also logged a PR,

shaving off over 90 seconds. Bird said, “The hills are the worst part, but I persevered through

them, chasing the people in front of me.”

Seven runners competed in their first meet of the season, and with rain canceling many meets

this season, it was only the second middle-school meet for the rest of the team. Eighth-grader

Nikota Lyons was one of the first-meet runners. Lyons said, “I thought it was going to be a lot

worse than it was; it was actually pretty fun! I thought the racers would be super competitive and

push me around, but I ran with the same people the whole time and got to talk to them, which

was pretty cool, and we helped each other out when we struggled.” Despite the wet conditions

and the steep, muddy hill, the team stayed focused and worked hard from start to finish. “This

race helped runners gain valuable race experience and learn how to navigate a more

demanding course,” stated Coach Abby Peterson.

The boys landed in 5th place out of 14 teams, and the girls landed in 7th place out of seven

teams. With the second meet of the season under the team’s belt, the runners will continue

building endurance, confidence, and race experience as the season progresses. Their next

meet is at Pocahontas on Saturday, October 3.

NAME 2mile Place

Kyler Vote 12:58.20 9

Roman Pace 14:17.30 37

Nikota Lyons 14:30.10 45

Landon Fors 15:22.10 78

Eli Bird 16:53.10 124

Nick Albright 17:56.00 144

Noah Peterson 18:24.10 156

Domi Foster 19:26.90 166

Cooper McKinney 20:51.30 175

Ruger Skougard 28:06.50 182

183

Runners

Ava Eaton 16:13.30 47

Annie Harris 17:13.70 73

Serenity Cunigan 17:17.40 75

Averie Kitchen 17:33.80 87

Aleah Judson 18:30.40 109

Taylor Dorsey 18:36.80 111

Avery Akins 20:01.1 128

Heaven Cunigan 21:44.70 134

Lexi Waugh 22:53.60 139

Adley Davis 23:02.5 140

144

Runners