The Mustangs varsity cross country teams both nabbed second place last week at the Williamsburg Invitational before facing stiff competition in Saturday’s Steve Johnson Invitational at Wartburg. The yearly event found the Mount Vernon-Lisbon joint team placing ninth in the girls competition, while the boys placed 14th.
Tuesday, Sept. 27The Williamsburg Invite found both sides of the team taking second place in the team rankings, with Lourdes Mason claiming the top time in the event.
“We were able to see Pella for the first time this year at Williamsburg and I was really impressed with their teams,” said Kory Swart, head coach. “ It definitely showed us that we have some more work left to do in October as we finished second on both sides.
“Lourdes Mason continued her excellent season by winning the meet and Laura Swart had a really nice race to be in the top 5. We’re just looking to close the gap a little at the number four/five position.”
That honor went to Chase Lauman, a senior from Pella, on the boys side, while sophomore Grady Olberding took fourth, the highest the Mustangs would place in the invite.
“He’s done such an outstanding job this year,” Swart said “I’m really looking forward to seeing what he can do in the postseason.”
Saturday, Oct. 1 At the annual Wartburg Steve Johnson Invitational, the Mustangs faced some tough runners, with the girls placing ninth and the boys coming in 14th.
“It was a really nice day and we were able to get 18 personal records on the day between the boys and the girls teams,” Swart said.
Valley West Des Moines’s Addison Dorenkamp had the top time on the girls side of competition with a time of 17:40.92.
Lourdes Mason again set the pace for the Mustangs with a sixth place finish and a time of 18:19.19.
“For the girls, Emrie Johnson broke 20 minutes for the first time in her career,” Swart said. “She is really coming on strong and that will be super helpful moving forward. Hailey Bock and Gabi Moehlman both PR’d at Wartburg to help out in the team standings.”
Manny Putz of Onalaska had the fastest finish for the boys, with a time of 14:50. 65.
Grady Olberding once again finished first for the boys at 16.11.32.
“On the boys side, Junior Krob broke 17 minutes for the first time ever,” Swart said. “He just keeps getting better with every meet. I’ve been really impressed with his progression. Klayten Perreault also had a nice race finishing in a PR of 17:08. The boys really seem to be hitting their stride at the right time.”