Oskaloosa Cross Country Teams Place Fifth and Sixth at Chariton Invitational
CHARITON, Iowa — The Oskaloosa boys cross country team placed fifth among 15 scoring teams, while the girls finished sixth among 13 teams at the Chariton Invitational on Monday, Oct. 5.
The boys scored 133 points and finished only two points behind fourth-place Red Oak. Pella Christian won the boys team championship with 44 points. The Oskaloosa girls recorded 164 points, while PCM won the girls title with 49.
With the Little Hawkeye Conference meet and district competition approaching, Oskaloosa coach Mike Comfort said the Indians need to turn their strong practices into stronger race performances.
Comfort said, “Both teams seem kind of stuck in place right now. We are running some really good workouts but we can’t seem to translate it into a race. For the next two weeks as we head into conference and districts we really need to focus on taking care of ourselves to bring those performances from practice to races.”
Smith Leads Oskaloosa Boys
Lane Smith led the Oskaloosa boys by placing eighth overall in 17 minutes, 38.91 seconds.
Abel Larson and Micah Van Ee crossed the finish line less than one second apart. Larson placed 17th in 18:24.99, while Van Ee finished 18th in 18:25.77.
Silas Johnston was Oskaloosa’s fourth finisher, placing 50th in 20:06.38. Zach Terpstra completed the Indians’ team scoring with a 52nd-place time of 20:16.57.
Comfort said, “Lane, Micah, and Abel led us again today, but I thought that Silas and Zach had some of their best races to help solidify our scoring.”
Kellen Kauzlarich placed 65th in 20:59.73, and Ian Rosvold followed in 67th with a time of 21:02.14. Gyden Walker finished 75th in 21:30.73, Carter Bonnett was 78th in 21:38.43, and Coen Knudtson placed 90th in 22:03.85.
Doll and Frost Pace Oskaloosa Girls
Olivia Doll was the first Oskaloosa girl across the finish line. She placed 27th overall in 23:42.79.
Sabrina Frost was close behind, finishing 29th in 23:54.62.
Comfort said, “Olivia has had two fantastic races in a row. She is really starting to fulfill her potential. Sabrina had a great race for us as well. She attacked well over the last half of the race.”
Hazel Adam placed 32nd in 24:14.33, and Payton Clark finished 34th in 24:23.81. Mia Luck completed the five-runner team score by placing 44th in 24:47.66.
Serigha Lappin placed 47th in 25:07.70, followed by Ella Walter in 53rd with a time of 25:20.60. Kate McBurney finished 62nd in 25:56.59, and Kamryn Maddy placed 98th in 28:51.50.
Conference Meet Comes Next
The Indians will return to competition Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the Little Hawkeye Conference Invitational at Edmundson Park in Oskaloosa.
