by Taylor Burns

On Sept. 11, the PCM cross country team made the journey to Johnston for the Camp Dodge meet.
Johnston, with it being their home course, won for both the boys’ and girls’ teams. The PCM boys finished in 12th place, with girls finishing just short of that, in 13th place. With a hilly course, the girls pushed to get their best times. Sophomore Rachel Stafford led the team in the 4k with a 19:11, while freshman Baylee Smith finished just behind her with a time of 19:19. Juniors Kiara Kappelmann Morgan Novak finished with times of 20:56 and 22:06 respectively. Junior Mallory Bell finished the race with a time of 22:07, ending the meet for the girls. The girls scored a total of 323 points.
“I think we will just keep getting better the more races we run and the more our bodies get used to the distance,” Stafford said.
On the boys’ team, running a 5k, freshman Blaise Winegardner finished in 18th place with a time of 17:57. Following behind him was sophomore Chris Ellens with 20:35, two seconds better than the last meet. Junior Trent Howard and freshman Caleb Peter ended with a 21:45 and 22:30 respectively. Finishing behind them were sophomore Chase Keucker and freshman Brady North with times of 22:40 and 23:19 respectively. Junior Andres Vargas finished with a time of 23:50. The boys went home with a score of 360.
“I think to improve we need to start focusing on form and catching the next person ahead of you,” Ellens said. “It’s crucial to always have someone pushing you.”
Come support the team at their next meet today, Sept. 18, at 4:30 p.m. in Lynnville-Sully at the Diamond Trail Golf Course.