Avon Lake Early Bird Invite Recap

 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.