Monroe Cross Country teams do well at regionals

On Oct. 13, the MHS Boys Varsity Cross Country team qualified for state finals for the first time in six years. After placing high in Regionals, the team hopes to dominate the leaderboard.

Regionals took place at the Lake Erie Metropark course in Jefferson School District. The meet lasted from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The boys team ended up placing third overall, and the girls team placed seventh overall. The whole boys team qualified for the State Finals, and Viktoria Bloniarz was the qualifier from the girls team, with a time of 21:04.06. The runners powered through the cold weather. The ground was also covered in mud, making it difficult for them to run. Even though these weather conditions were harsh, our runners showed that they wanted to win it all.

The top runners for the boys team were Luke Butler, Nick Parran, Gabe Sweat, Alex Apetroaei, Dan Rhoades, Maxx Adams, and Andy Foshag.

The top runners for the girls team were Viktoria Bloniarz, Bridgette Dudley, Morgan Kay, Grace Finley, Quinn Fowler, Hailey Winkelman, and Ashlyn Mydloski.

The boys team scored a total of 104 points, putting them behind Pioneer who scored 59, and Saline who scored 54. Luke Butler ended up placing second overall for the boys team, giving them a better shot for placing in the leaderboard. They are still working hard, and want to prove themselves during States, which is scheduled for Nov. 6 at the Columbia Central High School.

Coach Justin Heck commemorated their hard work throughout the season to get where they are now.

“The team showed up every day and did the work they needed to that day to achieve their goals,” stated Heck.