By DALE KUGATH
Sportswriter
WASECA – The New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva cross country teams faced some stiff competition at Lakeside Country Club in Waseca last Thursday.
Coach Mike Weber’s Panther boys topped a pair of conference foes to finish seventh among nine teams.
Boys
The Waseca Bluejays had an easy time capturing their own championship. The Bluejays had four of the first nine runners across the finish line for 33 points, 23 fewer than runner-up Faribault.
NRHEG, which was last among six teams last season, placed seventh among nine teams with 194 points. The Panthers beat conference foes Blooming Prairie and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown/Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton.
“We ran well as a team,” said Weber. “We were happy with a seventh-place finish in a highly competitive field.”
Waseca sophomore Shane Streich, ranked second in the state among Class A runners, breezed to an easy win over the 5,000-meter course. Streich’s winning time was 15:43.
T.J. Schiltz continued to pace the Panther runners, finishing second among 57 runners with a 16:10 clocking.
“Streich is a premier runner,” said Weber. “T.J. can be satisfied with finishing second behind him.”Raece Johnson and Adam Anderson continued to run two-three for NRHEG. Johnson placed 42nd in 19:18. Anderson was 10 seconds behind to place 43rd.
“Raece had his best race this season,” said Weber. “Adam did a great job pushing him along the course.”
Senior Dustin Burshem finished 52nd in the race, completing the course in 22:20. Jarek Schendel ran a 24:06 to end up 55th overall.
Girls
The Waseca girls proved to be even more dominating than the boys, taking first place with 32 points. The Jays had five runners in the top nine finishers.
Faribault was a distant second with 83 points, four fewer than United South Central.
The Panthers, who finished fifth among six teams last year, brought up the final spot with 202 points. NRHEG was 21 points behind eighth-place Maple River.
USC had the top two finishers in the 4,000-meter race. Emily Mantor was the winner in 14:36, 37 seconds faster than Hannah Goemann.
Freshman Katharine Lewer was NRHEG’s top finisher, placing 22nd among 56 runners in 17:22.
Sophomore Melissa Malakowsky continued her consistent performances by finishing 36th in 18:30.
“Katharine ran her best race of the season,” said Weber. “Missy has been uncannily consistent. Her last four races have been within eight seconds of each other.”
Crystal Olson and Sandra Quezada ran three-four for the Panthers. Olson ran a 19:01 to finish 44th, Quezada 46th in 19:09.
Kristy Possin placed 54th in 21:42, while Marissa Mortenson finished 55th in 22:04.
“Crystal broke 18 minutes, and Sandra, Kristy and Marissa all ran their best times of the season,” said Weber.
The Panthers will now prepare for the Gopher/Valley Conference Meet at Sherburn Tuesday.
Waseca Invitational
(B) Team scores: 1)-Waseca 33, 2)-Faribault 56, 3)-Maple River 100, 4)-Jordan 110, 5)-Kasson 113, 6)-USC 131, 7)-NRHEG 194, 8)-Blooming Prairie 214, 9)-WEM/JWP 234. Winner (5000-meters, 57 runners) – Shane Streich (Waseca) 15:43.
NRHEG results: 2)-Schiltz 16:10, 42)-Johnson 19:18, 43)-Anderson 19:28, 52)-Burshem 22:20, 55)-Schendel 24:06.
(G) Team scores: 1)-Waseca 32, 2)-Faribault 83, 3)-USC 87, 4)-Jordan 120, 5)-Kasson 138, 6)-WEM/JWP 146, 7)-Blooming Prairie 150, 8)-Maple River 181, 9)-NRHEG 202. Winner (4000-meters, 56 runners) – Emily Mantor (USC) 14:36.
NRHEG results: 22)-Lewer 17:22, 36)-Malakowsky 18:30, 44)-C. Olson 19:01, 46)-S. Quezada 19:09, 54)-Possin 21:42, 55)-Mortenson 22:04
NEXT: Tuesday – Conference meet at Sherburn, 4 p.m.