Masuk boys and girls cross country teams made a speedy return to the season during their first meet on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at our very own Great Hollow Lake.
Going up against Bethel and Bunnell in their only home meet this season, Masuk girls put up a good fight, however they ultimately ended up placing third overall. Our girls were led by freshman Charlotte Pinto, scoring a time of 26 minutes and 12 seconds and finishing eighth overall. Sophomore Parker Connolly placed second for Masuk and came in as a close ninth, with a time of 27 minutes and 30 seconds.
The girls are optimistic about the current season, hoping for steady improvement throughout.
Co-Captain Nora Hurley, a Masuk junior, stated, “It’s very exciting this year to be back and we have a lot more people on the team this year, and some more freshmen, so it’s very exciting to just get back into the rhythm of things. First meet is always kind of rough, you know, getting everything settled and just getting used to it.”
As the season progresses, the team has some goals they hope to achieve. Hurley voiced, “I think our mentality and our mental toughness is a place that we can improve on, you know, we have the exercise and the cardio and we just have to like really be strong mentally and push through, even when something hurts a little.”
However all in all, the team performed well, with Hurley announcing, “I feel proud of everyone, I feel proud of our freshmen especially because they did really well this meet. I’m proud of their times and I’m proud of how they did, and I’m also proud to still be here, at the meet even though I can’t run.”
Wednesday also served as the Masuk girls cross country senior night, celebrated under the Great Hollow Lake pavilion. This night celebrated seniors Sophia Kellogg, Anya Rescsanaki and Karlisse Wills.
Masuk boys finished strong in this meet, placing second overall after winning against Bunnell and coming up short against Bethel. Sophomore Michael Majersky came in first for Masuk and tenth overall, with a time of 21 minutes and 22 seconds. Junior Jackson Rader finished close behind, with a time of 21 minutes and 24 seconds, placing second for Masuk and eleventh overall.
Co-Captain and Masuk Senior Owen Smith stated, “It was tough coming from summer, but as a team we did pretty good. The top three guys did great, they pushed themselves really hard and they looked good finishing.” Junior Anish Sharma added, “The boys showed a lot of grit.”
Masuk boys cross country senior night will take place after a future meet around mid October, celebrating seniors Owen Smith, Shane Dauk and Francis Fahey.
Masuk’s cross country teams performed exceptionally at their first meet of the year, so make sure to show up and support them at their future races!
Masuk Free Press 