MHS harriers place seventh at Sterling
Staff writer
The Marion High School Warrior varisity boys cross-country teams struggled Thursday against 35 mile-per-hour winds, but managed a seventh-place team finish in the Sterling Invitational meet.
“The wind really made this meet a challenging run,” Marion head coach Rebecca Hofer said.
Jordan Hett covered the 5K course in 17 minutes, 37 seconds to finish in fourth place.
Other Marion runners included Patrick McCarty (18:36, 17th), Jacob Cope (19:23, 32nd), Timothy Knolla (20:56, 58th), Clark Kroupa (21:42, 66th), and Jarred Hague (23:07, 72nd).
In the girls varsity 4K race, Kaelyn Thierolf finished seventh with a time of 17:01, and Elizabeth Goentzel returned to competition with a time of 20:50 to place 47th.
Malachi Sippel placed eighth in the eighth-grade boys 2-mile event with a time of 15:07. Abby Kuster’s time of 18:44 was good enough for a ninth-place finish in the eighth-grade girls 2-mile.
In the seventh-grade 1-mile race, Garrett Alleven placed fourth in 6:19.
This was the final event of the season for the Marion Middle School runners, and Hofer was pleased with their season-ending efforts.
“Even though they might not have gotten a personal record, they all worked hard,” Hofer said. “I felt like they did a great job.”
Hofer commended Alleven for finishing strong after experiencing a fall early in the race.
“Garrett’s time did go down, however I blame the wind and the fact that he fell during the first quarter of the race,” Hofer said. “Falling breaks your concentration and stride, and yet he got up and finished hard.”
The varsity boys and girls will compete Thursday in the Heart of America league meet, hosted by Marion at the Marion Country Club. The varsity girls 4K race will start at 4:30 p.m., followed by the varsity boys at 5.
Last modified Oct. 13, 2011