Area runners take part in Osseo-Fairchild Invitational

Tri-County Area runners from Augusta, Fall Creek and Osseo-Fairchild took part in the Osseo-Fairchild Invitational meet last week Thursday, Oct. 3 at Osseo Golf Course in almost perfect weather conditions.

Augusta freshman Laney O'Brien had another good run. She finished second in a time of 19:57, :22 seconds behind race-winner sophomore Inez Schmidt, who help lead her No. 8 ranked Cameron squad to the girls' team title with 44 points to Eau Claire Regis' 59. Fall Creek was fourth with 106 points led by sophomore Audrey Koehler's fourth place finish in 20:24. AHS was sixth out the 10 teams competing with 167 points.

Other runners for AHS were freshman Sophia Bergman, 24th in 23:43; senior Roella Weiss 52nd in 26:50, junior Sam Hanson, 60th in 27:51 and sophomore Maya Peterson, 64th in 28:36.

Also competing for Fall Creek were senior Cora Peterson, 28th in 23:58; junior Jamie Johnson, 32nd in 24:09; senior Emma Westrate, 33rd in 24:18; sophomore Kamryn Dahlberg, 39th in an even 25 minutes, freshman Claire Fischer, 40th in 25:03; senior Larissa Johnson, 41st in 25:13; sophomore Iris VanWormer, 44th in 25:29; freshman Emily Volbretch, 46th in 25:27; junior Ellison Schroeder, 59th in 27:43; sophomore Reese Asmussen, 61st in 27:52; junior Ellie Coach, 62nd in 27:53 and senior Kendyl Asmussen, 63rd in 28:04.

Osseo-Fairchild junior Alyssa Burmesch finished 53rd in 27:07.

Chippewa Falls McDonell had the very low score of 32 to win the boys' team title led by race winner junior Owen Clark in 16:43 on the 5000-meter course. The Mackls were followed in the team standings by No. 14 ranked Cameron 64, Eau Claire Regis 86, Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran 94, Chippewa Valley 183, Black River Falls 213, Fall Creek 240 and Augusta 262.

The highest finish by a Tri-County Area runner in this meet was from Fall Creek junior Marcus Coleman, finishing 21st in 19:09. Augusta senior Preston Schafer also got in under 20 minutes by finishing 29th in 19:47.

Osseo-Fairchild runner Nolan Olson, a senior running in his final race on this team's home course, had a season-best finish a time of 20:55 in 42nd place.

Also running from the Area in the boys' race was Augusta's Zale Pettis, 34th in 20:16; junior Dasan Downey of Augusta, 45th in 20:58; sophomore Alex Anderson of Fall Creek, 48th in 21:10; senior Jamison Carey of FC, 56th in 21:40; Fall C reek junior Kaden Prock, 61st in 22:19; Fall Creek freshman Weston Mielke, 63rd in 22:24; junior Shane Moore of Fall Creek, 71st in 23:35; junior Garrett Larson of Augusta, 72nd in 23:49; FC freshman Hudson Abts, 76th in 24:02; Osseo-Fairchild junior Orion Prudlick, 77th in 24:32; O-F sophomore Casey Bauer, 89th in 31:11 and AHS sophomore Thomas Truog, 91st in 31:46.

That same day Eleva-Strum competed in the Hornet Invitational at Lincoln. E-S junior Russell Hulett finished second in the boys' race behind Blair-Taylor senior Thomas Brandt 18:10 to 18:23. Also running for the Cardinals were freshman Sam Gehrke, 27th in 23:05, junior Alex Awe, 31st in 23:41 and junior Gabe Wakefield, 38th in 29:04. Central senior Amalia Dyar placed 19th in 24:46 in the girls' race which featured a pre-conference meet showdown between two top-15 Division 3 squads in No. 16 Independence/Gilmanton and No. 10 Cochrane-Fountain City won by the Indees 43-56 although C-FC's Addy Duellman won the race in 19:26.

Conference meets are next week, the Dairyland's in Augusta on Thursday, Oct. 17 while the Cloverbelt is in Neillsville Saturday, Oct. 19. This week's meets Area teams are competing in are at Thorp on Thursday, Oct. 10 and the Eau Claire Memorial Invitational at South Middle School on Oct. 12.