Trojans, Wildcats both run into Top 10 at UNK Invite

Cambridge freshman Rachel Harris, running at McCook recently, was one of the top two area placers at Monday's UNK Cross Country Invitational on the Kearney Country Club course.

R.B. Headley/McCook Gazette

KEARNEY, Neb. — The Cambridge girls claimed sixth place and Wallace’s Wildcats 10th among 28 Class D teams scoring points at Monday’s UNK Cross Country Invite.

Cambridge (74) was only four points from catching top five Nebaska Christian (70) with individual champ Hannah Swanson (20:57.92).

Wallace senior Mariah Gardner set the pace for all Gazette-area girls running among 179 finishers.

Gardner placed 23rd (23:28.69) as Wallace took 10th in the team race (119 points).

Cambridge freshman Rachel Harris (24th/23:37.06) and sophomore Brenna Deterding (26th/23:51.82) were both within three places of Gardner.

Hitchcock County soph Chayse Keith also reached the top 30 in 29th (23:59.47).

Others leading the area in Class D girls were Wallace freshman Ashley Robertson (31st/24:13.32), Cambridge senior Megan tenBensel (39th/24:56.23), Trojan junior Kori Koeppen (60th/25:51.79) Southwest freshman Ambie Custard (73rd/26:36.26), Falcon junior Bailey Hidy (78th/26:59.14) and Wallace freshman Ryleigh Hanson (94th/27:53.94).

Hitchcock was 20th as a team with 182 points.

No area team in Class D boys finished than Arapahoe’s 28th among 45 recording scores.

Warrior sophomore Campbell Schutz claimed 50th (20:49.41) in a field of 243 finishers while Southwest junior Cole Barnett was 54th (20:58.35).

Cambridge senior Aidan Gunderson earned 81st (21:55.94) which still fastest third in this huge event at Kearney Country Club.

Trojan soph Wyatt Jackson took 93rd (22:22.94), Medicine Valley freshman Josiah Nicklas was 112th (23:08.59), Hitchcock junior Landon Tines 113th (23:08.79) and Southwest soph Austin Thompson 115th (23:13.34).

In Class C, Chase County’s girls ran to 19th (303) among 28 teams scoring points.

Senior Jordan Jablonski led the Longhorn pack in 29th (22:56.7) with senior Morgan Peterson 75th (25:15.95) as 187 girls crossed the final line. Senior Liz Meyers (106th/26:34.85) and freshman Tayley Becker (107th/25:65.99) led Southern Valley-Alma’s contingent.

The Class C boys featured 301 runners flowing across that home of next month’s Nebraska State Championships. Southern Valley-Alma sophomore Griffin Stemper placed 72nd (19:56.8) which led all from the Gazette area.

Chase County freshman Navy Smith ran to 146th place (21:24.69), leading the Longhorns.