CC girls win Spencer Invitational
The Colby girls cross-country team enjoyed their finest performance of the season last Thursday, capturing the Spencer Invite with a dominating display of running, topping runner-up Phillips 22 to 53.
By meet’s end, six of the seven varsity runners on the girls team had finished in the top ten, and multiple Hornets achieved new PRs for a 3.1 mile race.
“Thursday was a great day for our team. Frey Field is almost like a home race for us,” coach Bryon Graun said. “We’ve run there so much over the past few years and it is just down the road, that we know this course very well.
The Colby girls weren’t quite at full strength, with Ella Halopka and Casey Reynolds missing from the line-up, but this year’s team is deep, and now with over a month of conditioning and meets under their belt, the Hornets are finding the form that led them to state in 2020.
Seniors Daisy Feiten and Mercedes Sarkkinen led the Colby charge at Frey Field on Thursday, placing second and third overall. Feiten tied her personal best, finishing the course in 21:07.
Sarkkinen ran under 22 minutes for the first time in her career, smashing her old PR of 22:18 by nearly a minute as she crossed the finish line in 21:33.
Junior Willow Oehmichen ran a new season best by nearly twenty seconds, finishing just behind Sarkkinen in fourth with her time of 21:39. Senior Trinity Severson was just three seconds shy of a new PR, and over 20 seconds faster than her previous season’s best. Severson finished the 3.1 mile course in 21:49, and earned a medal by placing sixth overall.
Sophomore Reagan Schraufnagel had arguably the best outing of any Colby runner on Thursday. Schraufnagel’s former personal best time was a 23:29 that she set at last year’s sub-sectional.
It just so happened that PR was run at Frey Field in 2020. A year later, lightning struck twice as Schraufnagel ran like the lightning, obliterating her old PR by nearly 40 seconds as she raced out to a seventh place finish in 22:40.
Freshman Pearl Feiten grows stronger with every race, and for the fifth meet in a row, Feiten set another PR at the Spencer Invite, setting the bar ever higher by placing tenth overall in a time of 23:08.
“Reagan and Pearl made some great strides,” Graun said. “It’s my hope that they continue to drop time and shorten the distance between them and our top four runners. It’s my hope we will finally have the full team racing in Athens as we preview their course for the girls sectional meet and see where we are at.”
Payton Roth was the final varsity runner for the Colby girls, and her time of 25:18 was good for 30th overall.
Veronica Mateer dropped ten seconds off her personal best, taking 47th overall in 27:17. Allie Robida is another runner to watch, with the freshman slicing nearly three minutes off her former best time to finish in 57th in 29:47.
Jenelle Ertl was 59th overall with her time of 31:34, and senior Brittney Meyer chopped off over three minutes from her personal best to take 63rd in 46:38.
“With Willow not far behind, and Trinity and Mercedes being under 22 minutes, we are setting ourselves to be right where we need to be in the middle of October at conference and sectionals.
The Colby/Abby boys were also a bit shorthanded, but every boy finished inside the top 50 at Frey Field, and they finished fourth with 94 points. Phillips won the meet with 37 points.
Talon Severson continues to be the standard for his teammates to follow, and “Big Boots” took ninth overall in a new PR of 18:38. Senior Sergio Camargo competed in his first race of 2021, placing 15th in 19:49.
Max Adams took 17th after he tied his PR by running the course in 19:57. Senior Richard Streveler set a new season best, taking 27th in 20:32. Bryan Camargo ran a 21:23 for 32nd.
Braylon Schoelzel picked up a PR after he crossed the finish line in 33rd place in 21:25. Carter Roth was back in action after missing Smileys, and the sophomore placed 42nd in 23:11. Braxton Smith and Josiah Bridger rounded things out for the Colby/Abby boys, placing 44th and 50th in 23:37 and 24:26.
“The boys also made some great improvements, but we also saw that we still have some work to do,” Graun said. “Sergio stepped up in his first race of the season. I have some high hopes for him in the next few weeks, that he can be a big lift for the team.”
Both teams will have a chance to build on their success as they travel to Athens this Thursday. Races will begin at 4 p.m.
IF YOU THINK I’M FAST NOW, WAIT UNTIL OCTOBER -Colby’s Trinity Severson (632) and Mercedes Sarkkinen (630) lead a pack of runners during the Spencer Invite on Thursday. Both ran season bests, and placed inside the top ten as Colby defended last year’s title. TRG PHOTOS/CHEYENNE THOMAS
