The NRHEG cross country teams competed at Blooming Prairie Tuesday, Sept. 13, with the boys placing third among four squads with 69 points. The host team won with 20.
It was a great night for the Panthers, with two top-10 finishers and four personal bests.
Places and times: Josh Fleming, sixth, 18:55; Ben Lewer, eighth, 19:14; Kollin Reese, 18th, 21:23; Jagger Beck, 19th, 22:25; Orin Mely, 22nd, 23:32.
“Josh had a really nice race tonight,” said NRHEG coach Mike Weber. “His times are low for this point in the season. Close behind came Ben, who also made the award stand. Ben ran a personal best. Kollin continues to improve. Kollin ran a PR. Jagger followed with his PR. Orin also turned in a PR. Overall, the boys had a great effort. With four PRs in the meet, we were ecstatic. They pushed one another through the entire course.”
Austin Pacelli finished second with 62 points. Medford was fourth with 82.
The NRHEG girls also had a good day with their three freshmen performing well in tough conditions.
Places and times: Jade Mely, fifth, 25:01; Mia Williams 10th, 26:47; Destiny Medrano, 11th, 26:58.
“Jade improved by a half minute over from our last event,” said Weber. “Mia gutted out a solid race. Destiny ran her best ever to earn her PR. Blooming Prairie has a nice course, but due to the deluge this fall, the girls did have to plod through mud and run over ground that was sometimes no more than a wet sponge. Despite poor conditions, they had a very good meet.”