Cross country season kicks off for area teams

Despite “sweltering temperatures,” Hayfield Cross Country Head Coach Kelli Schmeling said she thinks her team did well.
“We’ve been battling some illnesses so some members of the team were absent,” she said, noting she hopes her team will be back to full strength this week.
Schmeling noted that due to the temperature, the meet was shortened from a 3.1 mile race to a 2 mile race.
Leading the Vikings for the lady Vikings was sophomore Scarlet O’Malley who finished with a time of 16:36.7, and Britt Lynch-Moucha who finished with a time of 19:10.2.
For the boys team juniors Steven Gillette finished with a time of 14:51.3 and Seth Pack finished with a time of 25:22.1. Senior Josh Gillespie finished the race with a time of 17:43.9.
For the junior high race, which was a mile run, seventh grader Hadley Doman finished third with a time of 6:45.7. Eighth grader -Natalie Fjerstad finished with a time of 9:23.7.
For the Byron Bears, eighth grader Dayna Baune out ran everyone in the shortened junior high race finishing first.
As a team Byron finished fourth for junior high, and eleventh overall for the varsity team.
For Triton Autumn Froyum ran a 15:06 to finish in 46th out of 100 varsity runners on the boys side EJ Okeefe ran a 12:24 finishing 33rd, and Adriana Kunz ran a 16:21.
“Heat definitely was a factor on their performances, but the kids ran great,” Head Coach Shelly Bungum said.
K-M Cross Country begins season
Kasson-Mantorville Head Coach Jared Pittman said his team’s first cross country meet of the season
“went pretty well.”
“ Course was a bit hilly and times were slow overall, but it was a good first meet,” Pittman said. “ It was a twilight meet, so it was dark and they had lights and glow sticks all over. Was a fun atmosphere.”
Leading the way for the boys team was junior David Obst, who finished second overall with a time of 17:03.2.
Other notable finishes included sophomore Kalin Anderson who finished 36 overall with a time of 9:41.2 and freshman Michael Brandl who finished just behind with a time of 19:47.1.