The SV middle school cross country season officially got underway on Thursday, September 10 as the Jags ran at the Greene County Invitational at Spring Lake park. Under sunny skies, dozens of young runners took to the just shy 2-mile course, setting the benchmark for the weeks ahead. The season opener brought together six school districts, and for many of the athletes, the race represented their first taste of middle school competition. "We saw a lot of heart in all our kids out on the course and everyone finished,” said Coach Danny Lee, “so it was a great first race and a nice night to run.” The boys' division saw an exhilarating finish by newcomer Kyler Vote, finishing in 4th with a time of 11:44. Vote exclaimed, “I felt great running my first meet. I’m excited for the rest of the cross country season.” Also showing an amazing finish was returning runner Roman Pace who placed 13th with a time of 12:42. Pace said, ““I am proud of how I did for my first meet, but I feel like I have room to improve this season.” In the girls' race, newcomer eighth-grader Annie Harris led the way for the Jags, crossing the finish line with a time of 15:31, and newcomer seventh-grader Serenity Cunigan was right on her heels, finishing with a time of 15:51. Harris said, “It was really cool. I liked getting out there. I liked cheering everyone on after my race, too.” Cunigan doubled-down on those sentiments as well. “It was really fun, and I’m proud of how well I did. I’m excited to cheer everyone on the rest of the season.” “We are incredibly proud of these kids’ first race out," said Coach Abby Peterson. “This sets a fantastic baseline for what we can achieve this fall." Overall, the boys finished in fourth place, and the girls finished in fifth. With the season opener officially in the books, the SV Middle School Jags look forward to their next meet in Panorama on Thursday, September 17. SVMS Runners Finishing Time Place Kyler Vote 11:44 4 Roman Pace 12:42 13 Landon Fors 13:32 19 Noah Peterson 16:59 45 Nick Albright 17:02 46 54 Runners @ Meet Annabelle Harris 15:31 14 Serenity Cunigan 15:51 19 Ava Eaton 16:56 25 Aleah Judson 16:53 24 Taylor Dorsey 17:56 29 Avery Akins 16:53 30 Heaven Cunigan 19:17 33 41 Runners @ Meet