Coaches always stress about peaking at the right time and with 22 personal-bests, the Wayne High girls and boys cross country program made another step as postseason races approach.
From the O'Neill Golf Course during the Mid State Conference Championships on Oct. 9, the Blue Devil girls finished third with 43 points while the Wayne High boys took fourth with 61 points.
There were 17 boys and five girls who posted a PR on the day.
In the girls division, freshman Tayla Hurner captured silver in 19:41.5, senior Lilyan Hurner followed in 10th (21:51.3) and freshman Elizabeth Hix took 12th (21:59.4).
Other results came from sophomore Mariana Nexticapan Hernandez (21st - 23:04.9), senior Kennasyn Blecke (36th - 24:18.8), senior Josie Ley (41st - 24:32.1), sophomore Karla Wynia (47th - 25:57), sophomore Hannah Brogren (53rd - 27:20.1) and senior Sharon Vasquez (61st - 31:39.9).
Crofton won the team race with 24 points ahead of Boone Central in second (40).
Freshman Avery Arens from Crofton was crowned Mid State Conference girls 5k champion in a time of 17:11.7 among the 61 runners.
During the boys division, junior Emmanuel Gonzalez collected an 11th place medal in 17:51.6 while juniors Landen Claussen (16th - 18:32.6) and Alvaro Archundia (17th - 18:38.2) both just missed the medal stand.
Other top results came from freshman Colston Starzl (21st - 18:46.3), junior Camden Hall (23rd - 18:51.5) and senior Boden Dobbins (27th - 19:02.9).
Additional Blue Devil boys included junior Lance Brink (30th - 19:16), senior Gabriel Armstrong (36th - 19:31.5), junior Thomas Raymundo (37th - 19:36.2), sophomore Grady Maas (40th - 19:43.8), freshman Daniel Kuchta (49th - 20:37.9), senior Aidan Bohnert (54th - 20:55.8), freshman Jacob Fehringer (58th - 21:11), freshman Gerson Torres (59th - 21:12.3), freshman Isaiah Zarate (64th - 22:39.1), junior Cale Eischeid (66th - 22:45.5), junior Julian Garcia (68th - 22:57.7), freshman Clifton Kaup (71st - 22:58.8), freshman Dreu Jensen (72nd - 23:09), senior Jaxon Lindner (77th - 23:47), freshman Max Brink (78th - 23:49.5), junior Bryan Hernandez (84th - 26:06.2) and sophomore Hugo Reyes (87th - 31:27.5). Sophomore Hudson Rubendall did not finish.
Norfolk Catholic won the team race with 33 points ahead of Pierce in second (38).
Senior Brenden Bolling from Pierce was crowned Mid State Conference boys 5k champion in a time of 16:45.3 among the 87 runners.
The Wayne High girls and boys will next compete in the C-3 District Championships from Pierce Community Golf Course on Wednesday, Oct. 15. The girls race will open at 4 p.m. followed by the boys.
