Boys Meet

Western won the 27-team Gold Division, posting a score of 140 to edge Whitko (142) and Yorktown (146). Eastern (384) finished in 14th place and Northwestern (572) took 24th place.

"We looked at the results at the other teams coming in and I told the guys, 'We've got a shot at winning this, but it's going to be really close.'" Western coach Gary Jewell said.

Jewell considered Yorktown to be his squad's primary challenger going into the meet. Austin Young put separation between the teams with a strong effort. Young, the Panthers' No. 1 runner, finished in fifth place in a personal-best time of 16:27. The Tigers' No. 1 runner finished in 15th place.

"Austin ran pretty well," Jewell said. "He was up in the top three or four most of the race. He wants to run a fast time and normally that course is pretty quick, but the rain we had this week softened it up a little bit and that's going to slow you down a little bit. I'm pretty happy with his time, but he knows he can run a lot faster."

Western's other top runners were: Chris Love (21st place, 17:13); Kody Harmon (30th, 17:45); John Capps (38th, 17:55); and Christopher Nunan (46th, 18:05).

Eastern's runners were: Ryan Horner (20th, 17:06); Hansen Martin (45th, 18:04); Brett Buckmaster (95th, 19:02); Mitch Padfield (101st, 19:11); and Sam Clark (103rd, 19:44).

"Ryan did a great job; he got a personal best by 11 seconds. He was hoping to break 17:00, he was just slightly off, but he did a great job," Eastern coach Brandon Mink said. "Overall, four of the five guys who ran for us [Saturday] got season bests so we're pretty happy with that."

Northwestern's top five runners were: Sam Freeman (25th, 17:29); Nolan Cockrell (83rd, 18:45); Kyle Condon (151st, 20:46); Hayden Jarvis (157th, 21:08); and Jordan Wilson (171st, 22:09).

"All seven of the boys who ran [Saturday] set a course best. We had two personal bests and four season bests in that as well so I was proud of our effort. Once again, they have showed improvement," NW coach Dave Stevens said.

Girls race

Northwestern led the local contingent in the 25-team Gold Division, finishing in eighth place with a score of 274. Western followed in ninth with a score of 295 and Eastern took 15th place with a score of 377.

Angola (68) won the Gold Division.

Heidi Freeman led Northwestern with a 14th-place finish. She covered the course in 20:28. The Tigers' other top runners included: Hannah Ault (30th, 21:17); Britanny Jocius (52nd, 22:09); Lauren Dewhurst (61st, 22:25); and EliseCobb (134th, 25:06).

"Seven of the eight girls who ran for us [Saturday] set either a course best, a personal best or a season best so I was very happy with their races. They all came out and ran fast on a good course with some good competition," NW skipper Stevens said.

Western's top five runners were: Krissy Durr (41st, 21:50); Corianne Myer (46th 21:56); Kayla Qaskins (50th, 22:00); Bre Nicholas (67th, 22:40); and Erin Weber (104th, 23:48).

"I thought the girls ran really well." WHS coach Bo Britton said. "Eight of the 10 girls who ran had season bests or personal records. A lot of them have been running hurt, but they are running through that and just doing a great job. I am really proud of them."

Bethany Neeley led Eastern with a fifth-place finish. She covered the course in 19:43. Eastern's other top runners were: Brittany Neeley (16th, 20:41): Emily Wilcox (77th, 23:02); Sarah Willis (142nd, 25:43); and Alyssa Summers (161,27:34).

"We were shorthanded. We were missing two of our top five so our team was certainly off what it would have been, but we still had some pretty good individual performances," Eastern skipper Mink said. "Bethany did a super job of being up there in the top five in a very competitive field. She was just a second off her PR Brittany did well to also finish in the top 20.

"Even though it was a little wet, we got near or bettered personal-best times for three of the girls, so I vvas pleased with that."