LAKEWOOD The M-P cross country team took advantage of their I-5 neighbors to the north and sunny skies Saturday, Oct. 7, at the 23rd annual Hole in the Wall Invitational in Lakewood.
The Lady Tomahawk harriers won the girls varsity meet with 50 points among the 16 total teams, and their male counterparts finished third out of 17 teams with 119 points.
Head coach Randy Edens said the kids raced well and had a lot of fun on the Lakewood High School campus.
There were a total of 39 schools and close to 1,300 student-athletes that took to the 5K (3.1-mile) course on an unseasonably warm October day.
The kids did really good and I think we are a little ahead of schedule for postseason action, Edens said while chasing one of his three young children.
Freshman Kaylie Kimmell placed second overall with a time of 19:34. Junior Haley Nemra was three places behind her with a time of 19:47, sophomores Lauren Ainsworth finished ninth in 19:52 and Marissa Schafer placed 16th in 20:25.
Schafer said she didnt feel very good and felt it wasnt her best race.
Sometimes when I am running I feel really slow and I think today was just one of those days, she said. I lost Lauren in the beginning, but Ill do better this Thursday (Oct. 12) at Cedarcrest.
Junior Kylie Martonik finished 28th in 21:04, seniors Megan Crenshaw 37th in 21:28 and Amanda Weaver 46th in 21:54.
The junior varsity girls finished second overall with 71 points among the 17 teams and were led by junior Robin Muellers sixth-place overall finish time of 22:10.
Senior Amanda Bates placed 13th in 22:41 and senior Anna Peterson 16th in 22:51 and junior Amy Torkelson 17th in 22:56.
Freshman Caitlin Scholl came in 19th in 23:08 and junior Morgan Druckman 22nd in 23:14.
The third-place boys were led by the seventh-place finish of senior Jesse Masten, 17:02, and junior Ryan Lemmons ninth-place time of 1708.
Class of 2008 member Brandon Nobach came in 31st in 17:36, freshman John Crenshaw 35th in 17:43 and freshman Josh Laquian two places and one second behind.
The junior varsity M-P squad was led by the 12th-place finish of junior Josh Helms in 18:34.
Juniors Colin Kreiger came in 21st in 18:57, Cruz Griffin 36th in 19:19 and senior David Hinckley 38th in 19:21.
As a team, the JV squad finished fifth out of 16 teams with 159 points.
The M-P harriers had an inspirational T-shirt with a definition of cross country that had some people laughing.
Cross country never ending, gut wrenching, yet completely worthwhile, PAIN.