by Tyler Foster

Last Tuesday, Sept. 29, the PCM Mustang varsity cross country teams competed in a meet in Knoxville which hosts a really tough course. Both the boys and girls competed, with the girls finishing in 7th out of 12, while the boys placed 11th out of 16.
On the boys’ side, finishing in 13th place and first for the Mustangs was junior Chris Ellens, with a time of 17:30.2. Sophomore Blake Lee finished with 19:01.0, and supreme senior Trent Howard finished with a time of 19:37.4. Sophomores Brady North and Noah Henkenius crossed with times of 20:45.2 and 20:55.6, respectively. Junior Mark Bruxvoort ran his way to a 21:30.3 time, and sophomore Caleb Peter clocked in at 22:35.5.
The girls faired a little better, achieving a personal best from junior Jayci Vos, who finished in 25th place with a time of 22:03. A pair of freshmen, Payton Schut and Megan Townley, crossed the line next for the Mustangs, finishing with times of 23:08.9 and 23:32.3, respectively. Sophomore Baylee Smith clocked in at 23:55.1 and freshman Morgan Uhlenhopp ticketed a 24:56.0. Senior Morgan Novak finished with a time of 25:04.0, and freshman Sara Dudley timed in at 25:35.3.
“I think success just shows how hard we work behind the scenes,” said Vos. “We push each other everyday and have fun doing it.”
The cross country team will next run at Iowa State University’s cross country course on Monday, Oct. 12. The meet will start at roughly 4 p.m.