The Mount Vernon-Lisbon cross country squad, comprised of a girls team and boys team, took third place in both categories Monday, Sept. 20, in the Solon Cross Country Invitational.
Tipton took first place in the boys competition with 40 points, with the Spartans taking second with 49. The Mount Vernon-Lisbon boys came in third with 70.
Solon took the top spot over on the girls side, coming in at 43 points. Tipton and MV-L each had 74 points, but Tipton came out on top in a tiebreaker pitting the two teams’ sixth runners against each other. This put the Mustangs in third.
“We had a couple things not go our way Monday night, but that is cross country,” said MV-L head coach Kory Swart. “Not every meet is going to go perfectly.
“So we definitely need to understand that we have to have each other’s back at the meets. If someone isn’t having their best day, then it’s an opportunity for others to step up. I think that we learned a lot at Solon,” Swart said.
The coach pointed out that in boys competition, MV-L has featured four different number one runners in their first four meets.
Quincy Happel placed the highest of the boys at fifth, with a time of 17:54.30. Eli Dickson and Carson Sansenbach came in seventh and eighth at 18:12.40 and 18:24.40, respectively.
“That really speaks to the depth that we have on this team. Quincy Happel got out really well the other night and led the way. As we dial back the training a little bit and get some cooler temperatures, I think you will see the times start to drop,” said Swart.
Laura Swart took first place for the girls with a time of 19:48.10 in the 5k run. Anna Hoffman took fourth with a personal record time of 20:38.20. Emrie Johnson, a first year runner, came in sixth at 21:14.10.
“Laura Swart looked really good at Solon and has gained some confidence. Anna Hoffman has been super consistent and Emrie Johnson had the lone personal record of the night in warm conditions. That bodes well for her moving forward. If we can close the gap 1-5, we will be really tough,” Coach Swart said.

Gallery • 4 Photos

Margaret Stevens | Staff photo

Mount Vernon-Lisbon’s Quincy Happel (left) and Junior Krob race in the Solon Cross Country meet earlier last week. Happel was fifth overall in the meet.