Submitted by Tayloran Atwell
On Saturday, the Geneseo Cross Country teams competed at Richmond Hill Park in the 15-team Geneseo Invite. The weather caused a 15-minute delay to the start of the meet and created very muddy course conditions.
The Geneseo Invite features a unique format, with freshmen and sophomores competing first, followed by juniors and seniors. The boys begin each race, with the girls following four minutes later. Awards are presented by class division, as well as for combined girls, boys, and overall team scoring.
The first race of the day featured the freshmen and sophomores. The freshman boys had four athletes finish in the Top 12, led by Will Ehlert, who won the freshman division in 17:47.5. Henry Woodward followed with a third-place finish in 18:26.0, while Ephraim Mueller placed sixth in 19:13.8 and Kellan Courtright finished 12th in 20:58.7. Also competing for the freshman boys were Hunter Olson, Ian McCord, and Adler VanOpdorp. The freshman boys finished second as a team, just three points behind a strong Morton team. Phoenix Sottos was the lone sophomore boys competitor for the Leafs, finishing 51st in 26:43.0. For the Lady Leafs, Zania Sefton was the lone freshman competitor, earning a seventh-place finish in 24:07.1. In the sophomore division, Sofia Encabo-Alonso narrowly missed the medals, finishing 22nd in 26:19.1.
The second race featured the junior and senior divisions. The junior boys had four athletes finish in the Top 20, led by Henley Bourne, who won the junior division in 16:37.2. Greyson Claerhout finished fourth in 17:16.5, followed by Kael McCord in 12th at 18:54.7 and Fritz Bolme in 19th at 20:02.6. Rylan Carlson narrowly missed medaling, finishing 23rd in 20:13.8. Also competing in the junior division were Cole Henson and Elijah Coppejans. The junior boys captured the team title, finishing 12 points ahead of WB6 Conference rival Rock Island. For the senior boys, Jacob Berry finished 30th in 22:43.6, while Connor Runty placed 32nd in 23:53.3.
The Lady Leafs were led by a runner-up finish from junior Alivia Brown, who crossed the finish line in 21:54.7. Stella Allison finished 20th in 26:19.7, while Hanna Pirog placed 25th in 27:07.8. The senior girls had three medalists, led by overall winner Brooklyn Smith. Smith won both the overall race and the senior division with an impressive time of 19:19.6. Ayla Schultz finished 12th in 22:58.8, and Lucy Wachtel placed 16th in 24:02.4. Tiffany Helton also competed, finishing 35th in 36:40.0.
The Leafs and Lady Leafs will return to action next Saturday at Hoover Park in Sterling.
Full Results can be found at https://results.shazamracing.com/meets/77357 .
Lady Leaf Results:
Freshman:
Zania Sefton - 7th - 24:07.1 - Medalist
Sophomore:
Sofia Encabo-Alonso - 22nd - 26:19.1
Junior:
Alivia Brown - 2nd - 21:54.7 - Medalist
Stella Allison - 20th - 26:19.7 - Medalist
Hanna Pirog - 25th - 27:07.8
Senior:
Brooklyn Smith - 1st - 19:19.6 - Medalist
Ayla Schultz - 12th - 22:58.8 - Medalist
Lucy Wachtel - 16th - 24:02.4 - Medalist
Tiffany Helton - 35th - 36:40.0
Leaf Results:
Freshman:
Will Ehlert - 1st - 17:47.5 - Medalist
Henry Woodward - 3rd - 18:26.0 - Medalist
Ephraim Mueller - 6th - 19:13.8 - Medalist
Kellan Courtright - 12th - 20:58.7 - Medalist
Hunter Olson - 30th - 24:13.4
Ian McCord - 31st - 24:18.2
Adler VanOpdorp - 35th - 24:54.6
Sophomore:
Phoenix Sottos - 51st - 26:43.0
Junior:
Henley Bourne - 1st - 16:37.2 - Medalist
Greyson Claerhout - 4th - 17:16.5 - Medalist
Kael McCord - 12th - 18:54.7 - Medalist
Fritz Bolme - 19th - 20:02.6 - Medalist
Rylan Carlson - 23rd - 20:13.8
Cole Henson - 44th - 24:54.3
Elijah Coppejans - 49th - 27:16.8
Senior:
Jacob Berry - 30th - 22:43.6
Connor Runty - 32nd - 23:53.3
Team Results:
Freshman Boys:
1st - Morton - 34 points
2nd - Geneseo - 37 points
3rd - Moline - 68 points
4th - UT - 103 points
Junior Boys:
1st - Geneseo - 50 points
2nd - Rock Island - 62 points
3rd - Morton - 64 points
4th - Moline - 76 points
5th - Sterling - 93 points
6th - Lemont - 131 points
Geneseo did not have 5 runners in the other grade level races to field a team score.