Bison girls outrun all but one in annual invite

McCook freshman Samantha Rodewald (above) shows smiling can be done even running cross country at Heritage Hills as she finished sixth among 57 varsity finishers on Tuesday.

R.B. Headley/McCook Gazette

McCOOK, Neb. — Heritage Hills was full of hot air from all angles, but it didn’t seem to bother McCook High’s cross country girls Tuesday afternoon.

The Bison breezed through 90-degree temperatures to three top 15 places along with a strong No. 2 team finish at their annual invitational.

Freshman Samantha Rodewald was the Gazette area’s top placer (sixth) with Chase County, Cambridge, Hitchcock County and Dundy County-Stratton also entering runners.

Though she didn’t match her Class B Top 10 time of 21:17.5 Samantha joined senior ElsiAnna Rodewald (10th) in sparking McCook’s No. 2 team finish behind only the North Platte Bulldogs.

McCook doesn’t fight off the St. Patrick’s Irish without freshman Shawna Wilkinson (15th) or sophomores Grace Cappel (17th) and Joslyn Hammond (24th).

All three outran the St. Patrick’s No. 3 runner and secure a two-point win for second overall.

Samantha Rodewald deliver her Class B top 10 time at the Broken Bow Invite on Saturday. Few courses are sloped like Heritage Hills until the Nebraska State meet in Kearney next month.

Irish runner Kate Steinike entered as Class D’s No. 4 runner so far this season and she won the Bison Invitational by just four seconds over North Platte’s Zarah Blaesi.

Chase County led other Gazette-area teams despite just one top 20 lacer in sophomore Caelyn Long. Madison Brown placed 22nd for the Longhorns.

Team scores: 1. North Platte 23, 2. McCook 37, 3. North Platte St. Patrick’s 39, 4. Sidney 61, 5. Chase County 86, 6. Cambridge 103, 7. Sutherland 124, 8. Hershey 134.

Fastest 15 invididuals: 1. Kate Steinike, NPSP, 21:28.23; 2. Zarah Blaesi, NP, 21:32.24; 3. Kenzie Hurlbert, HOLD, 21:52.8; 4. Glenna Blakely, NPSP, 22:45.36; 5. Mallory Applegate, COZ, 22:54.19; 6. Samantha Rodewald, MC, 22:56.57; 7. Nelia Rivas, NP, 22:57.48; 8. Lydia Peters, SID, 23:00.65; 9. Baylee Evarts, NP, 23:17.92; 10. ElsiAnna Rodewald, MC, 23:28.49; 11. Alexis Hoatson, NP, 23:29.73; 12. Lacy Biltoft, NP, 23:41.83; 13. Angelea Arnett, SID, 23:56.36; 14. Hayley Miles, NPSP, 24:0o.81; 15. Shawna Wilkinson, MC, 24:11.85.

Other area runners:

Top 20: 17. Grace Cappel, MC, 24:31.1; Caelyn Long, CC, 24:56.34.

Top 30: 21. Megan tenBensel, CAM, 25:22.68; 22. Madison Brown, CC, 25:22.94; 23. Kori Koeppen, CAM, 25:38.24; 24. Joslyn Hammond, MC, 26:06.94; 26. Savannah Beegle, Hitchcock County, 26:27.52.

Top 40: 32. Kambree Meeske, CC, 27:19.6; 34. Lindsey Mendenhall, CC, 27:30.3; 38. Brooklyn Christensen, CC, 27:57.25; 39. Paige Sickels, CAM, 27:58.04.