The boys cross-country team turned heads at the Centerville Invitational, battling through a packed 34 team field to capture 15th place. Senior captain Andy B. led the Vikes, clocking 18:50 and placing 31st among all runners. 

This is a great start for this year’s new squad, as the team lost many impactful seniors, and that they placed in the middle of high-level competition shows that this year’s team has potential to be something special–along with the fact that the course was longer than the projected 5000 meters and contained multiple hills throughout the pathway.

The boys were also missing over half of the team, with only nine runners in the race. Three runners also eclipsed their personal best, with freshman Rory A. running a 20:53, sophomore Ryan W. running a 20:38, and junior Lawrence M. running a 20:58. With a fully healthy team, the boys could have potentially sneaked into the top 10 or better yet, a podium finish. 

“There are a lot of bright spots in this year’s team,” said senior captain Andy B. “I think we have a good shot at going far in the state tournament if we continue to work hard in practice.”

The Vikings will look to continue their success on 9/26, when they run the Tiger Invitational at Pickerington Central.