The JWP/WEM Grizzlies were spared the full power of the sun as clouds covered the sky during their races at the Waseca Invitational on Thursday, October 8.
Lakeside Golf Course proved to be a beautiful venue for an afternoon of tightly packed races. Its rolling hills, winding greens, and even a slight incline during the final push made for a balanced yet challenging pace for the runners.
A week of tough training preceded their performance at the second to last regular season Cross Country meeting. For the Grizzly Boy’s, the Waseca Invitational ended with a second place victory with 70 points and two top eight finishes. Wyatt Jans maintained his presence at the top of the leaderboard with a sub-eighteen minute race to earn a fourth place mark (17:56).
Not far behind was Teagan Mulder, who battled a small pack of runners heading into the final incline. Going stride-for-stride, Mulder relied on a strong uphill pace to carry him toward an eighth place mark of 18:44. Adding to the top 25 finishes, Wesle Heinz placed 13th (19:11) and Brenna Welvaert took 15th (19:29).
With only three runners, the Lady Grizzlies failed to qualify for team placing; however, there were individual successes. MaKenzie Westphal and Lydia Coulsey placed within the top twenty five of the Women’s 5k. Westphal kept pace with the pack in the early going, but soon trailed into the middle ground.
As the race entered its uphill climb, she kept two humming Waseca Blue Jays at bay while also avoiding an unexpected spectator on the track to clinch a harrowing 19th mark with a time of 24:00. Oddly enough, Coulsey stood tall against avian adversaries as well with a pair of Maple River Eagles attempting to overtake position. The Grizzly gal maintained her poise and narrowly claimed 23rd place (24:32).
With one meet remaining before the Gopher Conference Championships, JWP-WEM XC The Grizzlies will hone their technique one last time at Oakview Golf Course in Alden on October 13.
