Top three is the place to be if you want to qualify for state cross country.
Milford’s girls’ and boys’ team each earned runner-up, giving the Eagles a chance to fly at the Class C state cross country meet Friday, Oct. 23, at the Kearney Country Club. The girls will run at 1:30 p.m., with the boys’ race at 2.
In addition, Coach Michele Kontor said, the Eagle runners turned in six overall personal best times and two season bests.
“I’m extremely pleased with all their performances,” she said.
Abbie McGuire was the team’s top finisher, placing runner-up in the girls’ race with a time of 20:20.14, an overall personal best for her. This is her third year to qualify for state.
“She ran the way we wanted, and she had a shot,” Kontor said.
Mattie Mullet was seventh and Alayna Piening 13th for Milford. All three are individual qualifiers, as well. Kontor said Mullet ran a season-best time and beat some runners she hadn’t before. This is her second year to qualify for state.
Piening earned her first individual district medal and fought off two girls from Lincoln Christian to do so.
“She said she could hear them breathing,” Kontor said.
Eliza McGuire, Victoria Mink and Rachel Shively did their parts, too. Eliza McGuire has improved her time every meet and placed 17th, two out of the medals.
Mink continues to improve and ran her overall best time. Kontor said the freshman needs to run with more confidence.
Shively is still fighting through an injury but ran well, the coach said.
In the boys’ race, the Eagles cut the gap to Lincoln Christian again, finishing just five points behind the Crusaders. Elliott Reitz led the way with a third-place finish in 17:12.74, beating runners he hadn’t beaten before, Kontor said.
Also earning medals were Maddox Baack in ninth, Hudson Mullet in 10th and Carter Roth in 12th. Collin Piening and Ben Copley ran their best times on the Branched Oak Lake course.
Kontor said Roth was disappointed in his finish, but he tightened up during the race. Mullet had never broken 18 minutes and finished in 17:42.64. Baack also ran an overall personal best time and qualified as an individual for the second year.
Kontor said the girls hope to finish in the top half at state, while the boys hope to bring home a trophy.
During the week leading up to state, the Eagles work more on the mental end of the race, Kontor said.
