The Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn cross country runners did not back away from the challenge offered by the Sioux Center Cross Country Invitational. The event was held September 26 at the Dordt University cross country course.
Naet Hoaglund
“The Sioux Center meet was a great opportunity for our kids to compete,” remarked Hawk coach Naet Hoaglund. “There were a lot of quality programs and some strong runners. Going into the meet, we knew there were going to be a lot of runners and that it was important to get out to a good start. I thought for the most part, our kids executed the starts very well.”
The HMS boys wound up 15th in the 16-team field. “We were down a few runners on the boys side, so our team score probably wasn’t where we wanted it to be but we had a lot of positives to take away,” said Hoaglund. “James Carlin ran a really nice race and looked really strong throughout the race. I’m proud of his mindset and his attitude towards getting better each time out. He’s a competitive kid and has such a mature mindset in his approach to training and races, especially for a freshman. Aiden Bush continues to push himself and is running fairly consistent times. I love his competitive spirit and I know he’s going to empty the tank each time out- its really fun to watch.”
Bush was the top finisher for the Hawks boys while Kamryn Ebel held that distinction for the girls. “Kamryn ran another personal best,” noted her coach. “Each meet out has been an improvement over the previous race, so that says a lot about her willingness to compete and desire to improve. What I was most proud of her last night was how aggressive she was throughout her race. There were multiple times where she manuevered her way through a tight pack and asserted herself towards the front of the pack.”
Girls Varsity Team Results: Lennox (SD) 54, MOC-Floyd Valley 68, Sioux Center 74, Unity Christian 96, Spencer 143, Sioux City North 160, Cherokee 161, Le Mars 210, George-Little Rock/Central Lyon 228, Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley 276, Okoboji 286, Spirit Lake 321.
HMS Varsity Individual Results: Kamryn Ebel, 63rd, 24:10.46; Gracie Knobloch, 92nd, 29:58.28.
Boys Varsity Team Results: Sioux City North 57, Okoboji 103, Spirit Lake 109, Unity Christian 115, Sioux Center 120, Lennox (SD) 123, MOC-Floyd Valley 127, Sheldon 199, Spencer 201, Western Christian 251, Cherokee 323, Sibley-Ocheyedan 345, Le Mars 356, George-Little Rock/Central Lyon 405, HMS 428, Trinity Christian 464.
HMS Varsity Individual Results: Aiden Bush, 66th, 19:22.43; Damian Dodge, 85th, 19:46.67; James Carlin, 91st, 20:38.16; Blaine Finster, 95th, 21:13.00; Simone Dellavedova, 103rd, 22:12.92; Carter Dolphin, 112th, 23:36.82.
HMS JV Individual Results: Karter Zimmer, 102nd, 24:52.13; Moises Gonzalez, 122nd, 28:45.60.