The guys’ and girls’ cross country team raced Tuesday, Sept. 27 for a conference competition. 

It was a cold and muddy day for the Sharks, this is a first for our Sharks this season. The course was new for the athletes, it was set up in a different way. It was some rough footing due to woodchips which made it uneven. The course was also a little longer than it was supposed to be which was annoying for the athletes. 

Senior Payton Kuhn commented, “TVC #2 had a pretty tough course. Lots of wood chips and mud to work through but I think everyone performed really well. Everyone tried to stay positive and just compete which was really good.” 

On the ladies’ side, the Sharks put up a tough fight but ended up getting runner-up. Jaiden DIckman ran a time of 21:03.09 2nd place, Abby Dice 23:09.50 7th place, Payton Kuhn 24:40.77 15th place, Natalie Lemert 25:01.89 16th place, Laney Pestrue 25:15.68 19th place, and Jenna Abell 26:13.03 28th place. 

The guys also put up a tough fight and came home with the victory. Ben March ran a 17:28.61 2nd place, Landon Pestrue 18:34.37 3rd place, Dylan Marr 18:43.61 4th place, Alex Rodriguez 19:11.22 8th place, Collin Kuhn 19:28.52 11th place, and Hayden Shattuck 19:41.54 13th place. 

Coach Jay PuffPaff commented, “With the slippery and wet conditions it was all about competing today. Our athletes did an outstanding job staying in the moment and competing all the way to the line. I am really pleased with the progress that we have made.”

Overall, the team fought well through the tough conditions. The team did a good job staying out of their heads and just competing. It was a good day for the team. 

The Sharks will be back in action Saturday, October, 1 at Shepard High School.