Williams wins, Hilltopper harriers place in Cameron, Fall Creek invitationals
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The Glenwood City cross country teams returned from the brief holiday break and hit the ground running as they competed and placed in a pair of invitationals late last week.
For the second straight meet, junior JJ Williams crossed the finish line in first place. Williams was the top finisher in a field of 79 runners in the boys’ race at the Cameron Invitational held Thursday, September 9.
He led a charge that saw four other teammates finish in the top 27 as Glenwood City came in second overall in the boys’ team competition with 73 points. Ladysmith scored a 41 to win the championship that featured seven complete squads.
Senior Kendall Schutz was the top finisher at Cameron for the Topper girls. She trekked the Comets’ course in 21:39.6 to finish eighth overall and helped her team, who tallied a 129, to a sixth-place finish. Amery won the girls’ title.
Two days later, Glenwood City was competing in the annual Knudtson Invite at Fall Creek High School where the boys’ team copped a third-place finish with 99 points while the girls took sixth with a score of 135. There were nine schools that had complete teams in the September 11 event.
Tomahawk won the boys’ and girls’ team titles at Fall Creek with Durand placing second in both races.
Glenwood City has three meets over the next week beginning yesterday with the UW-Barron County race in Rice Lake, an invitational at Osceola this Saturday and a multi-school meet in Mondovi next Tuesday, September 21.
Cameron Invite
Finishing 30 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor, JJ Williams won the boys’ race at last Thursday’s Cameron Invitational.
Williams covered the 5,000 meter distance in 16:51.6 well ahead of runner-up Viktor Knigge, a St. Croix Falls senior, who finished in 17:21.8.
Sophomore Elek Anderson also turned in a top-ten finish, taking seventh with a run of 18:17.8.
The boys’ number three through five runners finished in a close pack. Senior Austin Nelson was 24th in 19:58.2, freshman Ilan Anderson was 26th with a time of 20:05.6, and sophomore Connor Berends was 27th after finishing in 20:14.6.
11 other boys competed and finished the race for Glenwood City. Those included, Brendan Booth (33rd, 21:03.1), Owen Bauman (37th, 21:31.4), Elliott Springborn (39th, 21:36.5), Zeb Holden (57th, 23:49.5), Justin Rogers (59th, 24:13), Anthony Nelson (60th, 24:18.8), Xander Jacobsen (61st, 24:19.0), Cody Hansen (70th, 25:25.1), Tyler Rogers (71st, 25:25.3), Henry Draxler (76th, 29:05.5), and Evan Hojem (77th, 29:21.8).
Kendall Schutz’ ninth-place finish led the Glenwood City girls. She ran the course in 21:39.6.
Glenwood City’s next three finishers were seniors Samantha Peterson at 37th in a time of 24:56.3, Bella Simmons came in 40th with a time of 25:24.8, and sophomore Haylie Hannah in 42nd and a time of 25:37.8.
Savanna Millermon was the fifth GC runner coming to the line at 26:13.4 for 48th place. Elsja Meijer was 49th in 26:29.1, and Ella Knops was the seventh and final Topper girl to finish taking 51st in 26:51.2.
Fall Creek Invite
It was senior Austin Nelson and junior Anthony Nelson leading the Glenwood City boys to a third-place showing in the Knudtson Cross Country Invitational at Fall Creek Saturday, September 11.
Austin Nelson ran an 18:31.7 to finish second behind defending state champion Parker Schneider of Durand who won in a time of 17:58.5. Anthony Nelson was seventh following a run of 19:41.7.
Freshman Zeb Holden was the third Hilltopper runner to cross the finish line taking 25th in 21:06.2.
The final two scoring runners for the Glenwood City boys were freshman Ilan Anderson and junior Owen Bauman. Anderson finished in 22:25.6 to take 37th and Bauman came in 39th place with a time of 22:37.9.
Junior Elek Anderson copped 41st after finishing in 22:52.4 and freshman Elliott Springborn was the final Topper finisher taking home 50th in a time of 23:43.6.
Senior Bella Simmons was clocked at 21:24.3 in Fall Creek and finished third. Colfax’s Molly Heidorn won the girls’ individual crown with a 21:01.0.
Fellow senior Kendall Schutz was the next Lady Hilltopper to finish the race, taking 27th in 24:42.5.
Freshman Elsja Meijer was 30th in 25:08.2, and seniors Samantha Peterson and Ella Knops were the final finishers with Peterson claiming 45th in a time of 27:58.1 while Knops took 48th in 28:47.9.