After a week of rest and preparation, the Columbus Academy cross country team was looking to take advantage of its fresh legs at the Tiger Invitational on Saturday, September 21. The Academy boys drew a fourth-place finish among nine teams while the girls placed fifth overall.

Coming in only eleven seconds shy of the school record, Luke Nester’21 continued to show his speed, finishing at 16:16 seconds and placing fifth. Always consistent, Charlie Sabgir’20 ran an impressive 16:53, placing eleventh in the stacked D1 field. Jake Huddleston’21, Alex O’Connor’20, and Calvin Wade’21 rounded out the top five, contributing to a fourth place finish.

Senior standout Annalise Grammel ran an outstanding 19:49 in the second race, placing first overall. Junior star Regan Cornelius also made a huge impact, placing second right behind Grammel and running a 20:02. Freshman Samantha Frickel, Whitney Hannallah’20, Janet Li’22, and Rachel Raque’20 all made a fifth place finish.

The team hopes to keep up its phenomenal season as it travels to the Bear Dash Invitational at Olentangy Berlin on Saturday, September 28.