Everyone contributed in his or her own way Thursday at Abilene when Marion High School cross-country team took to the course.

Veterans and newcomers contributed to solid team performances that saw the girls take fourth place and the boys place third.

“I was so pleased with the placing of both teams,” MHS Head Coach Bethany Carlson said.

Senior Ryan Jones had the team’s highest performance, taking second place in the 5K with a time of 18 minutes, 40 seconds.

“Ryan ran a great race to lead our guys,” Carlson said.

Right behind Jones was freshman Jordan Hett whose time of 19:13 earned him fourth place in his first career varsity meet.

Then it was another strong veteran, senior Louis Holt, who took eighth. Freshman Patrick McCarty continued the trend of young and old, earning a medal at 24th in his first race.

Other boys’ medalists included Brandon Meierhoff (27th), Michael Kirkpatrick (28th), and Jacob Cope (30th).

Derek Stuchlik, Clark Kroupa, and Nicholas Davies also completed the race.

Carlson was especially proud of Kroupa who also was running his first career race.

“Clark completed the race with such determination and perseverance,” Carlson said.

Another determined runner came from the girls’ side in freshman Monica Spachek. Her 4K-time of 17:06 paced the way for the Warriors.

Carlson was glad to see her first-year runners have success.

“I was so proud of our freshmen,” she said. “This being their first race of the season, all of them competed well. Monica ran an excellent race as her competitive side came out placing fifth overall.”

Senior Jaclyn DeForest was next in line for the Warrior girls with an Abilene course personal best 17:45 to take 11th place. Another freshman, Elizabeth Goentzel, earned the final medal with an 11th-place finish.

Whitney Christensen, Jessie Taylor, and Cassandra McPhail also competed. Taylor Harms, Anna Laurin, and Danae Edwards were unable to run the course due to injuries.

Overall, Carlson said the opening race went well.

“I am looking forward to next week’s competition at Hesston,” she said.

Race time is set for 4 p.m. for the girls’ race and 4:30 for the boys.

RESULTS
BOYS 5K (65 runners)

Teams: 1. Abilene 51. 2. SE of Saline 61. 3. Marion 62. 4. Sacred Heart 75. 5. Herington 115. 6. Chapman 132.

Ryan Jones – 2nd place*, 17:40.

Jordan Hett – 4th*, 19:13.

Louis Holt – 8th*, 19:36.

Patrick McCarty – 24th*, 21:24.

Brandon Meierhoff – 27th*, 21:47.

Michael Kirkpatrick – 28th*, 21:55.

Jacob Cope – 30th*, 22:00.

Derek Stuchlik – 43rd, 23:30.

Clark Kroupa – 45th, 23:34.

Nicholas Davies – 65th, 36:02.

GIRLS 4K (51 runners)

Teams: 1. SE of Saline 49. 2. Abilene 58. 3. Sacred Heart 66. 4. Marion 96. 5. Chapman 106. 6. Southern Cloud County 137.

Monica Spachek – 5th place*, 17:06.

Jaclyn DeForest – 11th*, 17:45.

Elizabeth Goentzel – 17th*, 18:24.

Whitney Christensen – 37th, 20:40.

Jessie Taylor – 39th, 20:51.

Cassandra McPhail – 44th, 21:22.

* Denotes medal-winners