Riverside Recap

 

The cross country team opened up their 2021 season with some very strong performances at the Riverside Kickoff Night meet held in Painesville.  Out of 52 runners that SJA sent to the line, 25 were first time runners, so there was a lot of excitement in the air for this rare night time race.

The JV group opened the night for the Jags, where 24 of the 25 first time runners were making their high school cross country debuts.  One of those new runners, Ruthie Becker (’25), had the lead for most of the race until being caught at the very end.  Her 2^nd place finish helped the JV squad finish 2^nd to Massillon Jackson out of 14 teams.  The rest of the top 5 for the Jags were; Addy McGee (’25), Kate Boland (’23), Anna Khuri (’23), and Alexia Wenzel (’23).

While the JV race was run before sundown, the big event was for the varsity races to run in the dark.  Lit up by temporary light stands and Christmas lights, the varsity race had the unique experience of running at 9:30 at night.  In a very good field of 19 teams, SJA finished 6^th.  The team employed a pack strategy for most of the race and finished very close to each other at the end.  Junior Ali Blouch was first across the line in 34^th place, followed closely by seniors Carlee Blankenship (35^th) and Anna Duesenberg (37^th). Sophomore Erin Hvizdos was not far behind in 43^rd, with senior sister Emma close by in 48^th.

Next weekend the team travels to Erie, PA to compete in the McDowell Invitational.