Senior Chris Heermann and freshman Luke Nester race together at the Dewine Estate Invitational on Saturday, September 2. (Ally Sabgir’18/Staff)

Coming off of a string of successful meets, the Galion Invitational on Saturday, September 16, challenged the boys and girls cross country team. Similar to the McGowan Invitational on Saturday, September 9, the sheer number of teams in addition to the heat presented itself as an obstacle. The girls and boys competed against twenty-four and twenty-five teams, respectively.

The girls have remained tough. Sophomore Annalise Grammel and freshman Regan Cornelius continued their excellent performances and sped their way to third and ninth, respectively. Grammel and Cornelius have yet to place lower than the top ten in any meet this year, an incredible feat for any student let alone two underclassmen. Juniors Maddie Tuckerman and Ryan Milbourne along with senior Briyana Dragin also ran stellar races. Both Tuckerman and Dragin set personal records on a course that did not lend itself to fast times. The girls placed ninth overall and continue to improve as a unit each week.

Despite the superb second place finish for the boys, their loss to Mt. Gilead—a rival team—left them with an inkling of disappointment. The Vikes, however, still posted remarkable times compared to the rest of the field. Senior Nick Robie shot to fourth place with freshman Luke Nester right behind him in twelfth. Not only did Nester score at the top of a packed race, but he also crossed the finish line before any other freshmen in the meet. Seniors Nick Watson and Chris Heermann along with junior Liam McCann flew in soon after and ranked within fourteen spots of each other, all placing in the top thirty-six.

The Vikings race again on Saturday, September 23, at Pickerington Central.