West Fork Cross Country Teams Run in Panther Invite

MANLY - The West Fork boys and girls cross country teams ran in the Panther Invite hosted by Central Springs at the Pioneer Town and Country Club on Thursday, September 25. The boys' team finished in finished in seventh place out of 14 teams with a total score of 198, while the girls' team finished in eighth place out of nine teams with a total score of 205.

For the boys, sophomore Kaden Graf finished in 29th place overall and posted a score of 28 points with a time of 19 minutes, 10.8 seconds. Sophomore Kyler Harley finished in 37th place overall and posted a score of 35 points with a time of 19 minutes, 29.2 seconds. Freshman Brayden Williams finished in 42nd place overall and posted a score of 39 points with a time of 19 minutes, 41.9 seconds. Junior Owen Wedmore finished in 53rd place overall and posted a score of 46 points with a time of 20 minutes, 17.6 seconds. Junior Max Martinek finished in 58th place overall and posted a score of 50 points with a time of 20 minutes, 42.7 seconds. Head coach of the boys' cross country team Caleb Hovenga discussed how his team is focusing on running as a team.

"We are starting to put our focus more on team finishes instead of individual," Hovenga said. "Each runner goes out and tries to run to the best of their ability, and the team is benefiting from that."

For the girls, junior Evelyn Hitzhusen finished in 20th place overall and posted a score of 18 points with a time of 22 minutes, 39.7 seconds. Freshman Makenna Dick finished in 25th place overall and posted a score of 21 points with a time of 23 minutes, 16 seconds. Freshman Adar Wiseman finished in 64th place overall and posted a score of 43 points with a time of 27 minutes, 17.6 seconds.

Freshman Whutley Otten finished in 68th place overall and posted a score of 45 points with a time of 27 minutes, 43.2 seconds. Otten's time set a new personal record. Sophomore Josi Janssen finished in 74th place overall and posted a score of 49 points with a time of 28 minutes, 35.7 seconds. Head coach of the girls' team, Luara Huber, has been proud of how the girls have ran to this point of the season. "I have been proud of how hard the girls have been running in practice and in meets," she said. "They are all pushing to achieve better times and reach their goals in the last few meets of the season."

Both the boys and girls' teams next meet is in the Bulldog Cross Country meet at Maybes Grove on Thursday, October 2 at 4:40 p.m.