Submitted by Tayloran Atwell
Last night the GHS Girls and Boys Cross Country teams traveled to Midland Golf Club in Kewanee to compete in the Annawan-Wethersfield Cross Country Invite. With the extreme heat, meet officials shortened the varsity races from the usual 3 miles to 2 miles and pushed the start time back an hour to help keep athletes safe.
For the Lady Leafs, the first athletes to toe the line competed in the COED Open 1.5-mile race at 5:00 PM. Hanna Pirog, a first-year cross country runner and foreign exchange student from Germany, led the way for the Leafs, finishing 10th overall and 6th among the females with a time of 13:08.1. Tiffany Hulton and Baylen Poffenberger also competed in the race.
In the 2-mile Varsity Girls race, the Lady Leafs put together a strong team performance, placing six athletes in the Top 25 and bringing home the team championship. Evy DeBaene led the way with a 3rd-place finish in 12:27.0, followed closely by Brooklyn Smith in 5th with a time of 12:38.9.
Also earning medals for the Lady Leafs were Alivia Brown(15th), Ayla Schultz(16th), Charlize Wachtel(17th), and Lucy Wachtel(24th). Zania Sefton, Genevieve Talley, Stella Allison, and Keely Henry also competed in the varsity race and contributed to the team's overall effort.
The Lady Leafs finished with 50 points to take the team title, edging out second-place Aledo(Mercer County), who finished with 62 points.
Lady Leaf Results:
COED Open:
● Hanna Pirog - 10th - 13:08.1 - Medalist
● Tiffany Helton - 18th - 16:41.0
● Baylen Poffenberger - 19th - 16:51.1
Varsity Girls:
● Evy DeBaene - 3rd - 12:27.0 - Medalist
● Brooklyn Smith - 5th - 12:38.9 - Medalist
● Alivia Brown - 15th - 14:05.2 - Medalist
● Ayla Schultz - 16th - 14:18.7 - Medalist
● Charlize Wachtel - 17th - 14:23.9 - Medalist
● Lucy Wachtel - 24th - 14:48.4 - Medalist
● Zania Sefton - 34th - 15:40.9
● Genevieve Talley - 48th - 16:24.3
● Stella Allison - 49th - 16:32.5
● Keely Henry - 71st - 21:42.4
Team Results:
1st - Geneseo - 50 points
2nd - Aledo (Mercer County) - 62 points
3rd - Cambridge - 75 points
4th - Toulon (Stark County) - 106 points
5th - Manlius (Bureau Valley) - 110 points
6th - Rowva Williamsfield - 133 points
7th - Rock Island (Alleman) - 159 points
In the 2-mile Varsity Boys race, the Leafs put together another strong team performance, with five athletes finishing in the Top 25 on their way to the team championship. Geneseo finished with 42 points, well ahead of second-place Kewanee (Wethersfield), who scored 107 points.
Henley Bourne led the way for the Leafs, finishing 2nd overall in 10:22.7. Greyson Claerhout was right behind him, crossing the finish line in 3rd place with a time of 10:59.5. Also earning medals for Geneseo were Kael McCord, who finished 6th, Henry Woodward in 8th, and Ephraim Mueller in 24th.
The Leafs also had a strong group of runners competing throughout the race, including Will Ehlert, Rylan Carlson, Hunter Olson, Cole Henson, Connor Runty, Jacob Berry, Ian McCord, Adler VanOpdorp, James Mackenzie, Phoenix Sottos, and Elijah Coppejans.
Leafs Results:
● Henley Bourne - 2nd - 10:22.7 - Medalist
● Greyson Claerhout - 3rd - 10:59.5 - Medalist
● Kael McCord - 6th - 11:23.7 - Medalist
● Henry Woodward - 8th - 11:24.1 - Medalist
● Ephraim Mueller - 24th - 11:55.4 - Medalist
● Will Ehlert - 32nd - 12:20.4
● Rylan Carlson - 62nd - 13:27.3
● Hunter Olson - 79th - 14:30.6
● Cole Henson - 84th - 14:40.5
● Connor Runty - 85th - 14:43.5
● Jacob Berry - 86th - 14:55.4
● Ian McCord - 91st - 16:37.8
● Adler VanOpdorp - 93rd - 17:01.7
● James Mackenzie - 94th - 17:02.3
● Phoenix Sottos - 102nd - 18:53.3
● Elijah Coppejans - 103rd - 19:30.1
Team Results:
1st - Geneseo - 42 points
2nd - Kewanee(Wethersfield) - 107 points
3rd - Rock Island(Alleman) - 111 points
4th - Cambridge - 136 points
5th - Princeville - 143 points
6th - Manlius(Bureau Valley) - 152 points
7th - Orion - 156 points
8th - Aledo(Mercer County) - 160 points
9th - Toulon(Stark County) - 178 points
10th - Rowva Williamsfield - 241 points
11th - Taylor Ridge(Rockridge) - 281 points
The Leafs and Lady Leafs will be back in action on Saturday at Lake Story in Galesburg for the Silver Streak Invitational.