The Marion cross-country team sloshed through mud and puddles while navigating the 5-kilometer course at the Hesston Swather Special Thursday.
Rain during the early races left the course muddy, but cooler temperatures were welcome.
“Overall, the rain and the muddy course made our runners nervous and unsure about racing,” coach Dmitry Bucklin said. “However, once they got out on the course and started racing, I believe they enjoyed it.
“In some cases, the cool weather helped our runners to perform better and allowed them to focus on the race versus the hot weather we thought we would have.”
Forty-eight schools participated in the Class 1A-6A meet. Runners were divided by gender and ran with their grade level. Each race’s results were split into two groups: Class 1A-2A-3A and Class 4A-5A-6A. The top 20 finishers in each race medalled.
Senior Emily Hague paced the Warriors by finishing second with a time of 23 minutes, 23.7 seconds.
Meanwhile, junior Colin Williams led the boys by finishing seventh (19:27.9).
Meggan Frese finished 11th in the junior girls’ race (25:05.9), bettering last year’s time at Hesston by 35 seconds.
In the freshman girls’ race, Bethany Grimmett was 17th (26:45.1).
Sophomore Ethan Darnall finished 20th (21:54.3), while in the senior boys’ race, Devin Regnier placed 23rd (21:41.1) and Tyler Arocha 25th (22:11.5).
AJ Arterburn finished 24th in the sophomore girls’ race (30:19.3).
As a team, the girls were 14th in the 23-team field.
“I am very happy with our performance and outcomes today,” Bucklin said. “We once again represented well and had a total of five medals awarded. This is a fun meet because we see schools that we do not normally race against.
“Overall, everyone on our team improved in some way during this meet. Some improved their times, while others improved on their overall finishing places. Most importantly, everyone improved on their effort.”
Coming—Marion will race at the Herington Country Club tomorrow in a meet hosted by Centre.
