Wildcats To Compete In District Meet
The Rockbridge County High School boys cross country team won a four-team meet against Shenandoah District rivals last Wednesday evening in Fishersville, while the RC girls placed third.
Racing at the Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center, the RC boys placed five runners in the top 10 and scored 30 points. Host Wilson Memorial, with three harriers in the top nine, finished second with 47 points. Fort Defiance (50) followed in third, and Riverheads (107) came in fourth.
WM (36) edged Fort Defiance (37) to win the girls race, the Wildcats (64) placed third, and Riverheads (79) finished fourth.
Earning his second individual victory in a row and leading his team to its second consecutive win, RC junior Tyler Ludtke finished the moderately hilly and woodsy 5-kilometer course in 17 minutes, 26.44 seconds. WM’s Julian Galiano placed second of 44 harriers in 17:37.1 The next two finishers were Wildcats, with Leif Guse coming in third in 18:00.96 and Sammy Eastwood placing fourth in 18:11.49. Also cracking the top 10 for the Wildcats was Grant Swenty (10th, 18:32.61).
Following Swenty closely was teammate Oscar Mc-Clung (12th, 18:36.54). Completing RC’s top seven were Lincoln Steele (15th, 18:41.37) and Hudson Saunders (21st, 19:29.47). The only Wildcat to set a personal best mark was Zach Hart (33rd, 21:30.42).
Winning the girls race was WM’s Thea Franklin, finishing in 20:46.04 and leading four Green Hornets in the top nine. Fort Defiance’s Henley Ann Coffman placed second of 28 harriers in 22:02.89.
Freshman Reagan Imler led the Wildcats, finishing third in 22:10.6, while Fort’s Molly O’Brien came in fourth in 22:15.52.
RC’s second runner was Dorothy Lewis, tying Fort’s Violet Bass for 10th place in 24:01.98. The next two runners in for the Wildcats were Evelyn McClung (15th, 25:42.26) and Kate Holston (16th, 25:47.38). Wildcats finishing after Holston were Audra Roney (21st, 28:38.62), Hannah Ivins (22nd, 28:40.31) and Gemma Batis (28th, 34:44.07).
Today, Wednesday, the Wildcats will race in the Shenandoah District meet at Ridgeview Park in Waynesboro, with the girls’ race at 3 p.m., followed by the boys’ race at 3:45. RC head coach Julie Tisone said both RC teams are hoping to advance.
From Class 3 schools, the top three teams and the top five individuals outside of those teams will advance to the Region 3C meet, which is scheduled for next Wednesday, Oct. 29, at the Pleasant Grove course in Palmyra.
