GHV teams perform well on tough course

The Garner-Hayfield-Ventura cross country team proved they are well prepared after performing well on a hilly course against some of the best teams in Iowa, at Eagle Grove on Tuesday, Oct. 4.

Boys race

The boys team placed third in the nine-team Eagle Grove meet with 73 points.  Gilbert won the meet with 25, followed by Humboldt with 61.  Clear Lake was fourth with 105 points.

GHV’s Reece Smith ran an impressive race in 16:25 to take first place honors in the boys division.  His time was only eight seconds away from his personal record of 16:17.

Ray Cataldo was the second Cardinal to cross the line.  He placed 13th overall with a time of 17:40.  Logan Dalbeck and Austin Siegrist finished close together placing 21st and 22nd.  Dalbeck’s time was 18:03 and Siegrist’s time was 18:06.  Derek Brown wasn’t too far behind, finishing in 26th place with a time of 18:17.  Dalton Kelley rounded out the score with a 40th place finish in 19:00 and Nathan Larson was 54th in 19:25.

“Several individuals on the team are peaking at just the right times, with only three meets to go in the season before Districts,” said Coach Jeff Short.  “We are very excited about what our runners are accomplishing at this time.”

Girls race

The girls placed eighth in the nine-team competition with 183 points.  Gilbert won the girl’s race with 34 points, followed by Humboldt with 49 and Spencer with 64 points.

Hannah Whelan led the girls team and received a medal for her 16th place finish in 21:50.

“Hannah took :15 off her time, which is a real improvement,” said Short.

Rebekah Larson and Nicole Upmeyer placed in 37th and 38th place respectively.  Larson ran the course in 23:33 and Upmeyer finished in 23:48.  Rachel Sokol, Sadie Oulman, Emma Whelan and Jillian Heitland all finished neck-and-neck, placing 45th, 47th, 49th and 50th.   Sokol placed 45th in 24:37, followed by Oulman in 47th place with a time of 24:54. Whelan was 49th in 25:09 and Heitland was 50th in 25:23.