Results of the Cottey College Cross Country Invitational

by Brian Goatley

On Friday, Sept. 8, the El Dorado Springs Cross Country Team headed to the Frank E. Peters golf course in Nevada for the Cottey College Cross Country Invitational. The middle school boys and girls got the evening started with a combined race at 5 p.m.

Seventh grader, Grace Seitz, led the way for the middle school girls team, finishing 4th on the 2-mile course with a time of 15:55.98. 8th Grader, Karcyn Rader was the 2nd finisher on the day for the Lady Dogs, coming in 7th with a time of 16:48.01. Rounding out the lineup for the girls was 8th grader Aleta Lyness in 8th with a time of 18:00.78 and 6th grader Mia Reasoner in 10th with a time of 18:40.78. With only 4 runners the middle school girls were not able to compete as a team, but they have one runner in reserves which will be ready to run for their next meet, giving them a team to run for.

For the middle school boys team, 7th Grader Carter Smith led the way, finishing 3rd with a time of 12:55.40, followed shortly behind by 7th Grader Rylan Coleman in 4th with a time of 13:07.24. Also placing in the top 10 for the Middle School Boys team was 7th Grader Camden Watts who finished 6th with a time of 14:09. 81. 7th Grader Boston Lamb just missed the awards, finishing 12th with a time of 15:40.61. Also running for the Middle School Boys team were: Gavin Boch (8th) in 17:37.43, Aiden Terry (6th) in 17:16.11 and Jaxen Simmons (6th) in 16:28.45. When it was all over, the Bulldog Boys found themselves as a team in 2nd place, just behind a very good Kansas City East team. Both the middle school boys and girls teams ran really well at this meet.

The Girls high school race was next up on the agenda, getting started at 5:30. Junior Audrey Goatley led the way, winning the race with a time of 21:08.57. She was followed up by a pair of Seniors with Christian Steuck finishing 2nd with a time of 22:39.63 and Hanna Ridgway finishing 5th with a time of 23:57.42. Freshman Riley Lee was the 4th Lady Bulldog to cross the line finishing 7th with a time of 27:08.11. Junior Clara Farran finished 10th with a time of 29:25.86. Senior Myka Barger also ran for the Lady Dogs, as the Lady Dogs found themselves in 1st place as a team when the dust settled.

The final race of the day for the Bulldogs was the High School Boys race at 6. Freshman Wyatt Klaiber led the way, winning the race with a time of 17:26.90. Shortly thereafter came a pack of Bulldogs. Junior Braxton Watts led the way for the pack finishing 3rd with a time of 18:15.14 followed by Junior Logan Fisk in 4th with a time of 18:31.16, then Freshman Shane Fletcher in 5th with a time of 18:53.51 followed by Junior Will Seitz in 6th with a time of 19:04.44, then followed closely behind by Sophomore Sylas Fletcher in 9th with a time of 19:21.40. Rounding out the top 7 for the Bulldogs, just missing the awards was Senior Kolton Nichols with a time of 19:53.54. Also running for the Bulldogs: Senior Kyan Roberts in 21:15, Senior Blake Loane in 22:35, Freshman Tyler Reasoner in 20:09, and Freshman Wyatt Strawn in 21:57. When the race was complete and the results were tallied the Bulldog Boys found themselves in 1st as a team.

The Bulldogs had a busy week, training through this meet, running on tired legs, yet still dug deep and competed well. The Middle School team will have this week off, regarding races, however, the high school team will gear up for a big race in Joplin on Saturday, September 16 at the Missouri Southern Campus for the Missouri Southern Stampede. The girls team will get things started at 9:05 a.m. The boys team will follow at 10:15. The Bulldogs are gearing up for this race, as it is a fast course. It is a great time to be a BULLDOG! GO BULLDOGS!