By DALE KUGATH
Sportswriter
STEWARTVILLE – Hot, humid weather forced a shortened season-opening race for the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva cross country teams.
But, the Panther harriers survived and are now looking forward to improved outings the rest of the fall.
Coach Mike Weber’s runners performed at the Stewartville Open last Thursday to begin their season.
The Panther boys placed 15th among 18 complete teams, while the girls finished 14th among 16 teams.
“Both races were shortened due to the hot weather,” said Weber. “We saw a lot of improvement in a number of runners from last year.”Boys
Senior T.J. Schiltz started his final season on a high note by winning the race.
“T.J. had to out-sprint Winona Cotter’s Schrupp to win the race,” said Weber.
The race was shortened by one mile due to the excessive heat. Schiltz’s winning time was 10:11.3.
Seniors Adam Anderson and Raece Johnson ran two and three for the Panthers. Anderson finished 60th overall in 12:19.5, while Johnson ended up 73rd in 12:45.4.
“Adam continues to impress as our second runner,” said Weber. “Raece continues to close the gap between him and Adam.”
A pair of sophomores completed the Panther scoring.
C.J. Schiltz pushed Johnson for the third Panther finisher, taking 87th place in 12:59.
Zach Mely finished 100th overall, completing the course in 13:45.5.
“C.J. and Zach will get stronger and better with more experience,” said Weber. “As our two through five runners improve, so will our team standings.”
The NRHEG boys finished with 321 points and a 15th-place finish. Winona Cotter won the meet with 73 points.
Girls
NRHEG ended up in 14th place with 356 points. Lake City ran away with the team title with 69 points.
“Our girls ran well on a hot day,” said Weber. “The race was shortened to two miles, instead of the regular 2.5 miles.”
Sophomore Katharine Lewer topped the Panther runners with a 14:48.6 clocking, good for the 44th position overall.
Junior Sandra Quezada was second for NRHEG and 59th overall, running a 15:25.4.
“Sandra looks to be much improved from last year,” said Weber.
Juniors Missy Malakowsky and Tina Quezada held the third and fourth spots for NRHEG. Malakowsky placed 63rd in 15:34.1, while Quezada ran a 17:19.3 to capture the 90th position overall.
Sophomore Marissa Mortenson rounded out the Panther scoring. She placed 100th in 19:30.2.
NRHEG will run at Montgomery Golf Course today, competing in the huge Redbird Invite.
The Panthers will compete at Mapleton Sept. 12.
Stewartville Open
Boys: 1)-Winona Cotter 73, 2)-Plainview-EM 84, 3)-La Crescent 126, 4)-Byron 153, 5)-Lake City 173, 6)-Zumbrota-Mazeppa 224, 7)-Chatfield 236, 8)-Kasson-Mantorville 236, 9)-Cannon Falls 236, 10)-Pine Island 279, 11)-Wabasha-Kellogg 284, 12)-Blooming Prairie 285, 13)-Rochester Home School 297, 14)-St. Charles 310, 15)-NRHEG 321, 16)-Lanesboro 330, 17)-Bangor 404, 18)-Medford 409.
Girls: 1)-Lake City 69, 2)-Stewartville 121, 3)-Plainview-EM 151, 4)-Cannon Falls 154, 5)-Winona Cotter 166, 6)-Schaeffer Academy 169, 7)-Chatfield 183, 8)-Pine Island 183, 9)-Zumbrota-Mazeppa 185, 10)-La Crescent 200, 11)-Rochester Home School 213, 12)-Byron 230, 13)-Kasson-Mantorville 341, 14)-NRHEG 356, 15)-Hayfield 374, 16)-Wabasha-Kellogg 420.
NEXT: Today-NRHEG at Redbird Invite in Montgomery, 4 p.m.