Jaguars Place Fifth in Varsity and Fourth in Open at Strongsville

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio - Saint Joseph Academy placed fifth among 19 varsity teams Saturday at the Strongsville Fleet Feet Invitational, led by Maddie Koons ’30 and a consistent scoring pack. Koons finished sixth in 18:55, while Avery Stives ’27 and Elizabeth Sifker ’28 joined her in the top 25.

Racing on a new course with clear and cool weather conditions, the Jaguars maintained the compact formation that has supported their recent success. Saint Joseph Academy’s five scoring runners finished within 2:13 of one another, nearly matching the 2:12 spread the team recorded the previous week at Massillon Jackson. Koons led the way up front, while Stives, Siefker and the remaining scorers worked together to keep the team’s gaps tight throughout the race.

Saturday’s race offered an important early look at the postseason field. Of the 19 varsity teams competing at Strongsville, six are among the 21 teams Saint Joseph Academy is scheduled to face at the district meet on October 24. The Jaguars finished ahead of five of those six teams, providing a positive benchmark as the team heads toward the championship portion of its season. With districts less than a month away, the result showed that Saint Joseph Academy’s pack strength and consistency can translate against several of the teams it will see again when the postseason begins.

The team also placed fourth among 14 teams in the JV/open race. Bea Kratt ’30 led the Jaguars with a time of 22:11, followed closely by Carolyn Skrha ’28. Kratt, Skrha and Ella Schneider ’27 each earned a top-25 finish, giving the team three runners near the front of the field.

The JV/open group produced an even tighter spread, with only 1:23 separating its scoring runners. That consistency helped the Jaguars secure their fourth-place team result and extended a strong day across both races. The varsity and JV/open finishes continued Saint Joseph Academy’s momentum as the postseason, which begins Oct. 24, draws closer.

The Jaguars will next compete at the Madison Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. The varisty crew will race at 9:45am, followed by the JV/open race at 11:15am.

Jaguars Place Second in Varsity and Open Races at HeckSpacular

 

MASSILLON, Ohio - Saint Joseph Academy placed second in both the varsity and open races at the Massillon Jackson Heckspacular on Saturday, Sept. 19, as Maddie Koons ’29 and Avery Stives ’27 led a strong day of pack running at Jackson Middle School. The Jaguars scored 59 points in the varsity race, finishing two points behind the winner, while the open squad totaled 38 points and missed first place by seven.

Koons paced the varsity lineup with a time of 18:54, matching her lifetime best, and Stives followed closely in 18:57 setting a new personal best. Their performances strengthened both runners’ positions on Saint Joseph Academy’s all-time top-10 list. With only three seconds separating the Jaguars’ first two finishers, the front of the lineup set the tone for a varsity group that averaged 19:52 and placed four runners among the top 15.

The varsity race also produced five lifetime-best performances. In addition to Stives’ 18:57, Svlvia Langer ’29 finished in 20:25, Annie Collins ’30 ran 21:06, Grace Litten ’29 recorded 21:29 and Inez Somarriba '30 crossed in 21:34. Those performances helped the Jaguars stay within two points of the team title and demonstrated the depth developing behind Koons and Stives.

Saint Joseph Academy’s pack was just as effective in the open race with the scoring runners averaging a time of 22:30. Anna Heuberger ’28 led the Jaguars with a lifetime-best 21:09 and placed second overall. Bea Kratt ’30 finished fourth breaking the 22 minute mark for the first time, Samantha Eynon ’29 took eighth and Jezebel Kostecke ’27 placed ninth while running a season best time. The open squad put five runners in the top 15, allowing the Jaguars to compile a lower team score than the varsity group and remain in contention for the race victory.

The two runner-up finishes highlighted the Jaguars’ strongest pack running of the season. Across the meet, Saint Joseph Academy recorded 34 season-best times and 18 lifetime bests. Eight of those lifetime-best performances came from returning runners, giving the team another indication of its progress as the postseason approaches. The results came under clear skies with a temperature of 79 degrees.

The Jaguars will next race away at the Strongsville Invitational. Varisty will race at 9:00am followed by the JV/Open race at 10:00am. After placing nine runners in the top 15 across the varsity and open races at the Heckspacular, Saint Joseph Academy will carry improving times and a tightly grouped lineup into its next postseason tuneup.

JV Jaguars Take Third, Varsity Places 12th at Walsh Pat Richie Invitational

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio - Saint Joseph Academy’s JV Jaguars used three top-20 finishes to place third among 13 teams, while the varsity team finished 12th in a competitive 22-team field Saturday at the Walsh Pat Richie Invitational. Avery Stives ’27 and Maddie Koons ’29 led the varsity pack. Inez Sommarriba ’30 led the field in the open race with a hot second place finish.

Clear skies and cooler conditions at Walsh Jesuit High School helped produce 19 season-best performances for the Jaguars. The temperature was 63 degrees at the start of the meet, giving the team a favorable setting to attack their previous marks and maintain a steady pace through the race.

Stives and Koons set the pace for Saint Joseph Academy in the varsity race against a deep field. Annie Collins ’30 continued moving closer to the sub-22 mark, finishing in 22:05. Their efforts helped The Jaguars navigate the tough competition.

The Jaguars’ pack running was especially effective in the open race. Sommarriba cut 2 minutes, 9 seconds from her time the previous week and recorded a season-best of 22:14 to finish second. Olivia Palleschi ’28 stayed close behind in fourth place and crossed in a season-best of 22:25, while Samantha Eynon ’29 was not far back in 19th.

The close spacing among Sommarriba, Palleschi and Eynon gave Saint Joseph Academy three runners in the top 20 and powered The Jaguars to third place overall. Their ability to race together and hold strong positions provided one of the team’s most significant performances of the meet.

The Jaguars will travel to the Massillon Jackson Heckspacular on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, where varisty will race at 9:30am followed by the open race at 10:30am.

Jaguars Place Fifth in Maroon Division, Second in Open Race at Avon Lake Early Bird Meet

 ELYRIA, Ohio - Saint Joseph Academy placed 5th among 15 teams in the Maroon Division varsity race and 2nd among 12 teams in the open race Saturday at the Avon Lake Early Bird Meet. Avery Stives '27 led the Jaguars' varsity effort with a 10th-place finish in 20:39, while Bea Kratt '30 paced the open squad by placing 7th overall in 23:19.

Stives opened her senior season at the front of the Jaguars' varsity lineup, setting the pace through cool, damp conditions at Lorain County Community College. Elizabeth Siefker '28 followed less than a minute behind and finished 13th, giving Saint Joseph Academy two runners among the first 13 across the line. Their performances provided the foundation for the Jaguars' fifth-place team result in a competitive 15-team field.

Kratt delivered a strong race in the open divison, leading a compact Saint Joseph Academy group that helped secure the runner-up team finish. Anna Heuberger '28, Inez Somarriba '30 and Olivia Palleschi '28 were not far behind Kratt, using pack running to strengthen the Jaguars' position in the team standings.

That grouping proved significant in a race where every place contributed to the final result. With Kratt establishing the early benchmark for the Jaguars, Heuberger, Somarriba and Palleschi stayed close enough, all placing in the top-20, to give the team several finishers in succession. The depth behind the lead runner helped Saint Joseph Academy finish ahead of 10 teams in the 12-team open field.

Cloud cover, misty rain and a temperature near 74 degrees kept conditions manageable during the races. The heavier rain held off until the team was packing up, allowing the Jaguars to complete both competitions before the downpour arrived. The only casualty of the weather was a batch of postrace bagels that became soggy before the team could eat all of them.

Saint Joseph Academy will return to competition at the Walsh Jesuit Pat Richie Invitational on Saturday, Sep. 12, 2026. The varsity crew will race at 8:30am in the Gold Divison and the JV crew will race in the open division at 10:25am.