The goal was perfection, and the Milford boys’ cross country team came close Sept. 9 at its home invitational.
Milford runners placed first, second, fourth and sixth to score 23 team points and win their home competition.
Coach Michele Kontor was pleased with how the Eagles ran, pointing out that the top four were within 45 seconds of each other.
Elliott Reitz was the meet champion in 17:34.84, with Kaleb Eickhoff not far behind in second place and 17:36.02, a personal best time. Maddox Baack finished fourth in 18:11.1, and Carter Roth was sixth in 18:14.28. He and Jaxson Barnes of Louisville ended in a photo finish, Kontor said. Barnes got fifth by 2/100ths of a second.
Gavin Dunlap finished ninth, also running a personal best time, and Hudson Mullet was 12th to round out the top six.
Kontor was happy to see times drop from last week at Seward and Minden.
“We have room to improve,” she said. “We continue to challenge ourselves.”
She said Landon Lautzenhiser, Dane Kolb, Logan Hershberger and Sirius Jolly also ran well. The race was the first 5K ever for Jolly, who finished in 24:01.08.
The girls’ team was third in the standings, led by freshman Lilly Kenning’s second meet championship. Her time of 20:09.24 was over a minute faster than second place.
Kontor said Kenning’s next goal is to lead a race from start to finish.
“It’s hard to run fast when there’s no one to push you,” Kontor said.
Eliza McGuire was eighth and Victoria Mink 13th to earn medals. Ellison Piening just missed a medal in 16th place. Kaylee Garrison, Rebecca Freeman, Sally Burkey and Ashlyn Schildt also competed and turned in solid times.
Kontor said the course at Doane University is challenging. Runners aren’t able to get into a rhythm because the course keeps changing.
The Eagles are scheduled to run at Fillmore Central Thursday, Sept. 16, with the girls’ race starting at 5 p.m. The meet includes 18 to 20 teams, Kontor said, with competition from teams like Lincoln Christian, Lincoln Lutheran and Hastings St. Cecilia.
The Eagles are back in action Tuesday, Sept. 21, at the Malcolm Invitational, run at Branched Oak Lake.
