Middle school harriers take part in Junior Smiley Invitational

/ Sports

For the Tomahawk Leader

WAUSAU – Horace Mann Middle School in Wausau hosted 26 schools for the Junior Smiley Invitational on Thursday, Sept. 14.

A total of 583 racers crossed the finish line in the biggest field of the year.

The Tomahawk Middle School (TMS) boys placed 8th overall, while the girls placed 4th.

In the small school division, Phillips won, and in the large school, Stevens Point took home the title overall for the boys, while Waupaca and D.C. Everest won the team titles for the girls.

Charlee Lund led the way for the Hatchets with a medalist performance as she crossed the line 10th in a time of 14:33. Other award winners for the Hatchets were Lexi Palmer (27th), Hallie Pierce (28th), Kamron Ristau (30th), Joe Zastrow (32nd), Aliyah Nelson (35th), Abe Flohr (36th), Joa Reilly (44th), Camryn Kraklow (48th) and Dawson Jones (50th). Rounding out the scoring seven for the Hatchets boys and girls were Giordana Cammisuli (51st), Levi Cerkas (74th), Max Childers (81st) and Zach Scott (82nd).

The strong Hatchet team was also represented by Autumn Pankow (53rd), Victoria Towle (64th), Reagan Gorell (78th), Leigha Vassar (89th), Tripp Tabbert (91st), Vallyn Ott (92nd), Alaina Stogbauer (114th), Lilli Marheine (122nd), Lilly Meuer (123rd), Lucy Nelson (127th), Savannah Reinke (134th) and Kortney Busterud (143rd).

“This would be the first true challenge for this very young group as they haven’t competed in a race with this many kids around them,” said coach Justin Lund. “You could tell the nerves were there, but you could also tell they were also ready to compete and give it their absolute best effort. They showed some real grit out there on the course today, which resulted in positive outcomes both in the team standings and for individuals with some, even on the challenging hilly course, managing to get a PR.”

This week’s action

The TMS runners are scheduled to head to Medford Area High School for the Middle School Great Northern Conference (GNC) championships today (Monday, Sept. 18).

Athletes of the Week

Lexi Palmer – “For two weeks now, Lexi has been battling some ankle issues, and some issues with her shins as well. Also, for two weeks, she has found her way from scoring 8th on the team to now sprinting hard through the finish line as our 2nd Hatchet runner. She’s getting better and better each week, and her progress from the first race at Marathon has simply been a body of work that can’t be ignored.” Photos courtesy of Justin Lund.
Abe Flohr – “In his first year of cross country, he’s really helped bring this lead pack of boys together. He may be new to the sport, but races like a true veteran. This kind of competitive spirit and determination to get better week after week has been fun to watch, as he successfully earned a PR on what is viewed commonly by us as the hardest course of the year.”
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