To start the 2020 season, Jackson cross country hosted its annual invitational on Aug. 29, and the Indians were able to win three races. Competitions were split up between each grade class as Jackson won the freshman boys, sophomore boys and junior girls races.
The Indians had a total of four runners win their respective race as junior Addie Heisserer and sophomore Mallorie Metzger took first for the girls while sophomore Cade McCadams and freshman Zach Brazel finished first for the boys team.
Heisserer led the junior girls team by posting a time of 16 minutes, 20.96 seconds as fellow Jackson junior Layla Fliege finished as the runner-up at 16:47.45. Also finishing in the top 10 for the Indians was Brooklyn Burgess and Maite Mendez, who finished seventh (17:51.16) and eighth (17:51.49), respectively.
The Indians took the top-three spots in the sophomore race with McCadams coming in at 13:08.54, followed by Hunter Wendel (13:23.97) and Cole Puls (13:29.06). Jackson’s two final runners in the race placed in the top 20 as Evan Kiefer finished 12th (14:41.94) and lastly Gabriel Metzger was 20th (15:30.44).
In the final team win for Jackson, all five freshman boys placed in the top 15 as Brazel won with a time of 11:32.52. The next three Indians finished in the top 10 as Bryce Gentry was third (11:49.86), Eli Bower sixth (12:18.38) and Jack Hutson ninth (12:58.09). Placing 13th overall was Alex Sterling at 13:06.17.
Two other teams for Jackson finished as the runner-up as the freshman and sophomore girls teams took second overall.
Jackson’s sophomore girls team only had two runners compete but Metzger won the race with a time of 16:24.13, finishing 30 seconds ahead of the runner-up in Potosi’s Celeste Sansegraw (16:54.6). London Popp placed in the top 20 at 17th overall (19:50.49).
The freshman girls team had three of their five runners finish in the top 15 as Autumn McBryde was the first Indian to cross the finish line at sixth place (15:08.66). Also finishing in the top 10 was Jenna Marks coming in at ninth (15:44.24).
Grace Kurtz was the final top-15 finisher for the Jackson freshman as she was 14th (16:05.37) as Lydia Golinski and Isabella Crowell finished 17th (16:44.05) and 20th (17:13.39), respectively.
All three of the Jackson senior boys finished in the top five as Evan Stephens was second (13:06.28), Jake Eastin third (13:32.3) and Clayton Greenlee fifth (13:54.22). Only two seniors competed for Jackson’s girls team as Elizabeth Steele finished fourth (17:03.15) and Sophie McCadams 12th (18:52.4).
