FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR CROSS COUNTRY TEAM
The Wagner Red Raider Cross Country season is here once again, and this year’s team is very young. While we have several experienced runners, thirteen of our runners are new to the sport. In addition, while we have one senior and three juniors to provide stability and guidance, twenty-four of our thirty-one runners are between sixth and ninth grade. With so many young runners, we believe the future looks bright.
While very young, we had a great start to a brand new year. In the varsity girl’s race, Alcista Dion (9th grade) was our first finisher in 19th place. She was followed by Rose Eitemiller (junior) and Maggie Barnett (senior). All three girls gave everything they had and can be proud of the way they finished the run.
The rest of our girls also worked hard and made the Red Raiders proud. In the girl’s junior varsity girls, Jennifer Barnett (7th grade) finished in 4th place and Mia Dion (7th grade) finished in 9th place. It is a very good day when both of your runners finish in the top 10.
Our boys team also has a large group of new runners joining several returning runners. Among them were varsity runners Michael Barnett, Eddie Hayward, Owen Eitemiller, Colby Krcil, and Jordan Iron. All these runners, with the exception of Michael Barnett, are new to the Red Raiders varsity team. Even though they are quite young, they did very well. Michael Barnett (sophomore) was the first Red Raider finisher, coming across the finish line in 15th place and securing a medal. He was followed by Eddie Hayward (sophomore) who finished in the 23rd position. They were closely followed by Colby Krcil (8th grade), Owen Eitemiller (8th grade), and Jordan Iron (sophomore). In the junior varsity division, Teddy Slaba (8th grade) led the way, finishing in 13th place. He was followed by Henry Hayward (7th grade) in 20th place, Jason Flood (7th grade), Owen Bekanich (7th grade), and Grant Namminga (junior). These young men worked very hard from start to finish, and represented Wagner with pride.
The final races of the day were the middle school boys and girls. We had 5 runners in both the boys and girls middle school divisions. For the boys, Harry Hayward came across the finish line in 17th place. He was followed by Jackson Ralston (6th grade), Vince Bechen (7th grade), Caleb Zephier (7th grade), and DJ Schroeder (8th grade). In the girl’s middle school division, the Red Raiders were led by Cadee Nelson (6th grade). She was followed by Deandra Leighton (6th grade), Presley Slaba (6th grade), Kendra Kreeger (6th grade), and Kennedy Kourt (7th grade). Our middle school runners are the future, so we are hoping for good things from them.
As we move forward into the new season, we hope to be a growing force on the course. Our experienced runners will need to provide maturity and stability to a group of young and energetic athletes. Together, we are hoping to have a great year!