MP and W-MU run at Ft. Madison, Murray wins again

BY ANDY KRUTSINGER

Mt. Pleasant News

FT. MADISON ? The Mt. Pleasant boys? cross-country team continued to roll over local competition at the Ft. Madison Invitational on Thursday night.

The Panther boys won the meet, which included all five SEC teams plus Burlington, with 23 points. The MPCHS girls were fourth, with 72 points, which was just one point back of third-place Washington.

On the small school side, Winfield-Mt. Union placed sixth in the girls? race, with 130 points and seventh in the boys? race, with 174 points.

Logan Murray won the race for the sixth-ranked Panthers, in 16:20. He defeated Burlington?s Cole Schroeder by nine seconds for the victory.

Cody Mertens and Adam Bodenham each finished the race in 17:10, to place third and fourth respectively. Kyle Vanderham was sixth, in 17:43. Ryan Hutchinson and Jonathan Ita were ninth and 10th, in 17:49 and 18:00 respectively, and Dalton Krum finished 16th, in 18:30.

Abby Ryon scooped up another top five finish with a third-place time of 20:20 to lead the Panther girls. She was 30 seconds back from race winner Sierra Howardson of Ft. Madison.

Delaney McDowell gave the Panther girls two top 15 finishes with an 11th-place 22:38. Kelsey Notestein was 16th, in 23:12. Taylor Murray was 20th, in 23:29. Kendall Dascher placed 23rd, in 24:24. Claire Holtkamp was 26th, in 24:41, and Abby Smith was 33rd, in 31:20.

Cecelia Hemsworth, who was sixth place, in 22:48, led the W-MU girls. Whitney Vantiger and Johndree Harris placed 27th and 28th in 26:58 and 27:11 respectively. Lauren Hagge was 34th, in 32:16, and Isabella Mertens was 35th, in 33:27.

Gavin Bencze had a nice finish for the W-MU boys. He placed third, in 17:48, which was 47 seconds back of Nathan Frazee of Clark County (Mo.), who won the race.

Brock Fricke gave the Wolves two top-15 finished with a 15th-place 19:11. Bryant Holtcamp was 41st, in 20:38. Asa Gipple was 50th, in 21:13. Dalton Spencer placed 65th, in 22:19. Jackson Brown was 71st, in 22:41, and Ben Hemsworth finished 76th, in 23:33.

Both Mt. Pleasant and W-MU will be back in action again at Mt. Pleasant?s homecoming meet on Tuesday, Sept. 20, at 4:45 p.m.