The Northfield cross country teams were host to the Northfield Invite Monday after storms cancelled the meet Saturday.
The Northfield Boys Varsity team secured a victory, with six athletes finishing in the top ten. Leading the pack was Kourtland Pratt, who finished in second place with a time of 20:28. Preston Moore followed closely in 21:07. Tayten Barlow placed fifth with a time of 21:47, while Xavier Roark finished sixth in 21:52. Ethan Hoover secured seventh place with a time of 22:00. Nate Hodson finished tenth at 23:01, Gavin Lester was twelfth overall in 24:11, and Ashton Aderman completed the race in 24:34.
Kaleigh Rice led the Lady Norse team, finishing in first place with a time of 22:46. Alyssa Schnepp completed the race in 12th place with a time of 26:34. Shelia Smith contributed to the team’s efforts, finishing in 15th place overall with a time of 30:06.
First, among the Wabash girls, freshman Mya Golliher completed her race in 24:47. Following her was junior Mia Fairchild, who finished in 25:02. Junior Mallory Tart came next with a season opener time of 25:43. Senior Haylee Friend completed her race in 26:32. Finally, freshman Emma Cantrell finished with a time of 28:49.
The Southwood girls squad came out on top against Wabash, Heritage–Fort Wayne, Northfield, and Bishop Luers, showing depth and balance throughout the lineup. Leading the way was Paige Nelson (23:50.24), who finished 2nd overall, setting the pace for her teammates. Close behind, Hailey Collins (23:54.14) claimed 3rd place, and Andrea Widemon (24:22.14) crossed the line in 4th, giving Southwood a powerful trio at the front of the race.
Elin Tyson (25:24.88) added crucial points with a 9th-place finish, while Olivia Ranck rounded out the scoring with a solid 16th-place performance. The strong pack effort secured the Knights the overall team win to start the season.
The boys team also competed and gained valuable early-season experience as they look to build momentum in the weeks ahead. With only 3 team members, the boys will compete as individuals moving forward in the season. Veteran runners Jericho Corn (23:33.24) finished 11th and Andrew Wright (24:51.46) placed 15th. Cross Country newcomer Blake Henderson finished 18th in a time of 26:31.28. Also competing for Southwood at this event was incoming freshman, Grace Ranck.
The middle school Lady Norse team secured first place on Saturday. Adalynn Hawkens led the team with an individual finish of fourth overall, completing the course in 14:09. Following her, Audrey Hawkens finished sixth with a time of 14:33. Brynley Rice placed twelfth in 16:14, Kailynn Beeks finished thirteenth in 16:52, and Faye Leffert completed the race in nineteenth place with a time of 21:37.
The middle school boys’ team performed well in the race. Declan Haupert led the Norse team, finishing in 10th place with a time of 14:07. Hudson Texeira secured 14th place with a time of 14:57, and Carson McClure completed the race in 24:09.
