by Caleb Peter

On Sept. 28., the PCM cross country team competed at Chariton. This was the first time the Mustangs went to Chariton. The course went around Lake Red Haw making a nice view, but the runners were not very focused on the view. They were determined to finish the race. The girls team impressively won their race as a team, placing first out of 13 teams. The boys team placed 8th.

“Overall, it was another great effort. Luke and Maddy ran lifetime Personal Records, while Baylee ran a season PR. That’s pretty impressive considering it’s not the flattest course,” Head Coach Eric Karr said. 

For the girls, senior Baylee Smith led the team, placing sixth with a time of 22:50. At seventh place, junior Kirstin Ives wasn’t far behind with a time of 22:58. Junior Megan Townley earned ninth at 23:20, and sophomore Klaire Jungling was a mere two seconds behind Townley at 23:22 in tenth place. Junior Morgan Uhlenhopp earned 47th place with a time of 26:55. Freshman Katie Henkenius was at 70th place with 30:53. Junior Maddy Buys reached a personal record at 31:29 at 71st place.

The girls team won the race, making this the fourth invitational win they have gained this season, and they are ranked 15th in the state in 2A.

“The girls’ team is staying consistent, but we really need a breakout race at Norwalk so that we can remain a ranked team. Being ranked will give us a better chance at qualifying as a team for state,” Karr said .

The boys ran after the girls. Once again, sophomore Jason Stafford led the team at 14th place and a time of 18:56. Freshman Beau Webb was next in 25th place with a 19:59. Senior Brady North was 45th with a 20:44. Sophomore Cody Courtney ran a 21:53 at 70th. Sophomore Jacob Cox was at 80th place with a 22:19. Sophomore Ayrton Breckenridge ran a 22:48 at 90th place, and senior Caleb Peter ran a 22:55 at 92nd place. The boys placed eighth out of 13 teams.

“The boys team top four is remaining pretty consistent, but the next three are not locked in yet,” Karr said. “We’ll see how Norwalk goes for them. After that, I will have to make some decisions about the varsity runners for conference and state qualifying.”

The next time to see the team compete is Monday, Oct. 9 at South Hamilton for the conference meet.