GC girls’ cross country cops win at Rice Lake, boys eighth

By Cara L. Dempski

RICE LAKE — The wins just keep coming for the Lady Hilltoppers’ cross country team.

Of course, it helps when all six scored runners finish in the top 25 of the race like the Glenwood City girls’ did at the September 12 Rice Lake Invitational. The Lady Toppers outran 11 other small-school division foes – including fellow Dunn-St. Croix teams Boyceville, Colfax and Elk Mound – to take the division win with just 63 points.

The boys’ team did not fare quite as well, but still had a respectable eighth-place finish out of 13 teams after accruing 194 points.

Sophomore Isabella Williams led the Lady Hilltoppers at Rice Lake. She finished in 22:00.3 to take fifth place individually. Emily Bethell, the second Topper girl to finish, took ninth with a time of 22:22.6.

Seniors Elizabeth Wink and Megan Speiser took 14th and 17th with times of 22:59.6 and 23:19.0, and Gabby Moede and Julia Dinkel rounded out the team with times of 23:40.2 and 23:47.7 to finish 22nd and 24th.

The overall girls’ race winner was Emily Freagon of Bloomer with a time of 20:40.3.

Jacob Nadeau led the Glenwood City boys’ with a time of 19:14.4 to finish 25th as an individual. Sophomore Jabin Hojem raced to a 33rd-place finish with a time of 19:48.1, and Matthew Bauman took 41st with a 20:13.7 race.

Freshman Matthew O’Brien was next to finish, landing in 53rd after a 20:50.9 race. Elijah Simmons placed 56th with a time of 20:54.2, and Lane O’Meara finished in 21:36.8 to take 63rd.

Isaac Bohaty of McDonell Central High School earned the individual race win with a time of 17:18.2 while helping the Macks to a team win with just 49 points scored.

The Hilltopper cross country teams did not compete again until racing at Mondovi yesterday, September 19. The team will be in Durand Thursday, September 21 before heading to Colfax’s Whitetail Golf and Supper Club for a race next Monday, September 25.

GIRLS’ INDIVIDUAL RESULTS: 5. Isabella Williams 22:00.3, 9. Emily Bethell 22:22.6, 14. Elizabeth Wink 22:59.6, 17. Megan Speiser 23:19.0, 22. Gabby Moede 23:40.2, 24. Julia Dinkel 23:47.7.

GIRLS’ SMALL-SCHOOL TEAM RESULTS: 1. Glenwood City 63, 2. Phillips 86, 3. Shell Lake 97, 4. Elk Mound 105,  5. Colfax 116, 6. St. Croix Falls 151, 7. Cumberland 189, 8. McDonell Central 191, 9. Boyceville 212, 10. Prairie Farm 243, 11. Webster 245, 12. Bloomer 264.

BOYS’ INDIVIDUAL RESULTS: 25. Jacob Nadeau 19:14.4, 33. Jabin Hojem 19:48.1, 41. Matthew Bauman 20:13.7, 53. Matthew O’Brien 20:50.9, 56. Elijah Simmons 20:54.2, 63. Lane O’Meara 21:36.8.

BOYS’ SMALL-SCHOOL TEAM RESULTS: 1. McDonell Central 49, 2. Elk Mound 87, 3. Phillips 101, 4. Bloomer 115, 5. Unity 141, 6. Colfax 178, 7. Grantsburg 185, 8. Glenwood City 194, 9. Drummond 207, 10. Webster 222, 11. Cumberland 233, 12. Boyceville 264, 13. Shell Lake 376.