Wild weather cancels Panther Invite mid-meet

The Panther Invitational Tuesday evening in Creston was bittersweet as the girls raced well, but the boys never made it past the starting line due to weather.

Though rain held off through almost all of the girls race, dark skies spelled trouble. By 5:15, the boys race had been canceled.

“It’s so disappointing to not get the boys’ race in at home,” Coach Maggie Arnold said. “The only seniors on the team - Christian (Ahrens) and Anthony (Eblen) - were unable to run one more time. I know they both had a crowd coming to cheer them on, and it’s disappointing to not be able to compete. With outdoor sports, things like this happen.”

There were 19 teams at the large invitational, though the schools are divided into classes for scoring.

The Panther girls finished second behind a tough Clarinda team with 52 points. The Cardinals scored 21, their runners taking first and second place.

Creston’s Payton Davis and Reese Strunk both finished in the top five with third and fifth place finishes.

“It always feels great to run at home and I think the girls were really feeling that tonight,” Arnold said. “Payton and Reese with top 10 finishes shows just how comfortable they were in front of the home crowd. The Creston course is one of the more challenging courses with a brutal hill coming up to the finish.”

Davis’s 22:36.6 beats her course personal best by more than a minute. Strunk came in with a 23:11.7.

Also medaling for the Panthers were Karter Clayton (13th) in 25:24.9 and Gretchen Hoepker (14th) in 25:57.3.

Abby Freeman rounded out the girls team with a 17-place finish in 28:31.2.

“Karter and Gretchen both ran really strong races and keep improving each meet as they get more comfortable over the 5K distance,” Arnold said. “Abby Freeman also ran a really strong race at home. She has improved tremendously from the start of the season. I really look forward to seeing her close that gap between her and Gretchen as the season progresses.”

Area Teams

East Union’s Jillian Valencia led the Eagles with a ninth-place finish in 23:10.1 on the challenging course.

“This is like our sixth time running here,” Valencia said. “I know this course like the back of my hand. I mentally know where all the hills are, the hardest parts. I was just preparing myself to run that again.”

Valencia is still recovering from a torn labrum, but she was happy with her race today.

“I feel like I did pretty good,” she said. “I was able to pass a girl in the last 10 meters, so I was really happy with that.”

While times weren’t available at the time of print, Valencia said her goal this year is to break the East Union school record.

“It’s around 20:30,” she said. “I’d also like to make it to state, but I’d much rather break the school record.”

The Eagles didn’t have a full team to score.

Leading the Orient-Macksburg Bulldogs was senior Bridget Bracy.

“I felt really good today,” she said. “I really like this course because it’s not as bumpy. I felt really fast and I saw a couple of my friends from other schools, so it got me in the right mind set.”

She finished 12th in a time of 23:42.4.

Bracy said her goal is to get her personal best time down under 22 minutes.

“And maybe finish a race without my shoe coming untied,” she added.

The Bulldogs didn’t have a full team to score.

Mount Ayr took fourth place in Class B, led by senior Anne Newton.

Newton placed ninth in team scoring, finishing in 23:40.6.

Teammates Aubree Clark and Kacie Larsen came in together at 17th and 18th with times of 25:33 and 25:34.

Lenox was led by Greenly Ramsey, finishing 22nd in 25:38.5.

The Tigers didn’t log a team score.

Southwest Valley took fifth in Class B, led by Olivia Kathikar who took 21st in team scoring in 27:55.4.

Nodaway Valley was led by Annika Nelson who finished 25th in 26:09.

The Wolverines didn’t score as a team.

Up Next

The Panthers conduct their homecoming run Thursday where they relay the football 90 miles from Harlan.

“Follow the social media pages to see where we are at and come line the streets to cheer the kids on,” Arnold said. “Ninety miles is a whole heck of a lot of miles to run. The fundraising portion of the run is over and we thank everyone who contributed to our program. Your generous donations really help to provide equipment for the kids throughout the season.”

Team Stats

CLASS A

1. Clarinda - 21

2. Creston - 52

3. Red Oak - 66

4. Chariton - 99

CLASS B

1. Martensdale St. Mary’s - 36

2. Earlham - 39

3. Central Decatur - 52

4. Mount Ayr - 87

5. Southwest Valley - 122.