POPLAR RIDGE - At their last dual meet of the season, Southern Springs and Moravia both made a statement against Marathon and Groton on Tuesday.
Jason Rearick / The Citizen
Southern Springs runner Evan Bassett leads the pack down a hill during the cross country meet Tuesday afternoon. Bassett later finished fourth, gaining three points for Southern Springs.
Southern Springs runner Evan Bassett leads the pack down a hill during the cross country meet Tuesday afternoon. Bassett later finished fourth, gaining three points for Southern Springs.
Southern Springs showed the other teams that the boys and girls teams are going to be hard to beat at next week's IAC Division Championships in Groton. Moravia displayed several good runners on both teams and even though the boys' squad is small and the girls are hampered with injuries, they still have a couple of team members that can finish near the top.
The Southern Springs girls team won the meet with 17 points, while Marathon scored 43. Groton and Moravia's girls teams finished incomplete.
Marathon won the boys' meet with 33 points, while Southern Springs was close behind with 37 and Groton came in third with 59 and again Moravia finished incomplete.
“These were all good teams and we wanted to do well because this was the last time we'd see them before the IAC Division Championships,” Southern Springs coach Bill Mullarney said. “As a team, we're getting stronger all the time, especially without five, six and seven girls.”
While Meg Rindfleisch (19:14, seventh place), Casey Emmett (20:05, ninth place)
and Jessica Lepianka (20:17, 11th place) all ran well, Southern Springs' top four girls weren't too bad either. Katharine Miller took first overall (17:17), Mary Miller was second (18:33), Lyndsey Driscoll took fourth (19:00) and Molly O'Hara was sixth (19:13).
“Katharine, Mary and Lyndsey are all improving dramatically and as a team we're getting stronger all the time,” Mullarney said. “All seven girls are really getting better. They've done a great job for us; they work together and support each other.”
Claire Hunsinger was the top finisher for the Blue Devils, in third place (18:45) and Marathon's Haleigh Doetschman (19:12) rounded out the top five finishers out of 18 runners. Moravia was down three talented runners in Aimee Glenister, Alicia McLaughlin and Kayla Slater, who were all battling injuries. Moravia coach Jan Hunsinger has no definite timetable for their return, but hopes they will be back for Tuesday's meet.
“It's hard to be competitive when the two, three and four runners are out,” Hunsinger said. “We ran so well last Saturday at the McQuaid Invitational, so it's a shame. But I'm not sure they'll be 100 percent even if they can run at the IAC divisional championships, and the way that Southern Springs ran, I don't know if we can compete even if they are.”
Marathon's Erik Vaningen took first overall (14:24) out of 35 runners on the boys side. Jason Phillips was second (14:33) for the Blue Devils, who had just three runners compete. Joe Grobelny took fifth (15:01) and Bruce Cobb placed 29th (19:29).
“Jason and Joe were right up there and I was certainly happy with that,” Hunsinger said.
Evan Bassett placed best for Southern Springs in fourth (14:46), while Sam Fessenden took sixth (15:05). Alex Schmitt (16:01), Matt Cuff (16:04) and Roger Olschewske (16:17) placed 11th through 13th.
“The boys ran well and were disappointed to be four points outside of Marathon,” Mullarney said. “Alex has been the third man and has really come along, he was fifth early on and he's really starting to get it going.”
Groton's Mikhail Kern placed third (14:39) and Jonah Hebdon took eighth (15:25). Adam Cross (15:06), Mike Doane (15:30) and Pieter Vanignen (15:46) finished in fourth, ninth and 10th respectively for the Olympians.
“It looks like us, Lansing and Marathon are the three teams that are going to be in there kicking, scratching and clawing to get to the top, and Groton is coming up too,” Mullarney said. “What I learned today is that we can be competitive with them.”
The Southern Springs girls team won the meet with 17 points, while Marathon scored 43. Groton and Moravia's girls teams finished incomplete.
Marathon won the boys' meet with 33 points, while Southern Springs was close behind with 37 and Groton came in third with 59 and again Moravia finished incomplete.
“These were all good teams and we wanted to do well because this was the last time we'd see them before the IAC Division Championships,” Southern Springs coach Bill Mullarney said. “As a team, we're getting stronger all the time, especially without five, six and seven girls.”
While Meg Rindfleisch (19:14, seventh place), Casey Emmett (20:05, ninth place)
and Jessica Lepianka (20:17, 11th place) all ran well, Southern Springs' top four girls weren't too bad either. Katharine Miller took first overall (17:17), Mary Miller was second (18:33), Lyndsey Driscoll took fourth (19:00) and Molly O'Hara was sixth (19:13).
“Katharine, Mary and Lyndsey are all improving dramatically and as a team we're getting stronger all the time,” Mullarney said. “All seven girls are really getting better. They've done a great job for us; they work together and support each other.”
Claire Hunsinger was the top finisher for the Blue Devils, in third place (18:45) and Marathon's Haleigh Doetschman (19:12) rounded out the top five finishers out of 18 runners. Moravia was down three talented runners in Aimee Glenister, Alicia McLaughlin and Kayla Slater, who were all battling injuries. Moravia coach Jan Hunsinger has no definite timetable for their return, but hopes they will be back for Tuesday's meet.
“It's hard to be competitive when the two, three and four runners are out,” Hunsinger said. “We ran so well last Saturday at the McQuaid Invitational, so it's a shame. But I'm not sure they'll be 100 percent even if they can run at the IAC divisional championships, and the way that Southern Springs ran, I don't know if we can compete even if they are.”
Marathon's Erik Vaningen took first overall (14:24) out of 35 runners on the boys side. Jason Phillips was second (14:33) for the Blue Devils, who had just three runners compete. Joe Grobelny took fifth (15:01) and Bruce Cobb placed 29th (19:29).
“Jason and Joe were right up there and I was certainly happy with that,” Hunsinger said.
Evan Bassett placed best for Southern Springs in fourth (14:46), while Sam Fessenden took sixth (15:05). Alex Schmitt (16:01), Matt Cuff (16:04) and Roger Olschewske (16:17) placed 11th through 13th.
“The boys ran well and were disappointed to be four points outside of Marathon,” Mullarney said. “Alex has been the third man and has really come along, he was fifth early on and he's really starting to get it going.”
Groton's Mikhail Kern placed third (14:39) and Jonah Hebdon took eighth (15:25). Adam Cross (15:06), Mike Doane (15:30) and Pieter Vanignen (15:46) finished in fourth, ninth and 10th respectively for the Olympians.
“It looks like us, Lansing and Marathon are the three teams that are going to be in there kicking, scratching and clawing to get to the top, and Groton is coming up too,” Mullarney said. “What I learned today is that we can be competitive with them.”
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