Post Messenger Recorder -

Afternoon athletic events look different than Saturday mornings. Students leave school early and miss study time that must be replaced. They sit on the bumpy bus, balancing textbooks across knees, read bouncing words and attempt to control vibrating pencils. That is the picture as the New Glarus-Monticello Cross Country team heads to our Tuesday invitational at Marshall. With just ten teams, Marshall hosts a smaller meet than we see on weekends.

Temperature stays warm and humid as the teams explore McCarthy Park on Dane County’s west side. The afternoon will go fast since girls varsities and junior varsities run together for the first race, V and JV boys for the second and all middle schoolers in the third and final event. Not only do teams race but within the squads internal competition exists to determine who makes varsity for next Tuesday’s conference meet.

Varsity girls place seventh, varsity boys tie for the same then fall to eighth when Waterloo’s sixth runner beats our sixth man in the tie-breaker. JV boys also finish seventh and JV girls run incomplete, with three injuries and two illnesses.

With the fourth meet concluded, the team looks as follows: Gabbie Sawyer, Ashley Risley, Jane Thurow, Kelly Fredrickson, Walela Three-Sticks and Rebecca Barr solidly on varsity; Gabby Whistler, Kerry McCoy, Emily Streiff and Jenna Molencamp on the V/JV “bubble” and Tamara Elzen, Sydney Stecha, Lily McGowen, Gabrielle Xistris-Songpanya, Reagan Andersen, Nikki Bushee, and Callisa Briggs representing junior varsity.

Kyle Fredrickson, Christian Arnett, Max Cruse, Andrew Newberry, Colin McNulty and Cade Beutler represent the varsity. Nathan Heberer, Levi Dearth, Jonathan Truttman, Sam Austin, Cole Runde and Ben Yeiser make-up JV.

The day ended as middle school boys pounded the competition with Adam Nelson 1st, Conor McCoy 2nd, Ben Melvin 5th, Mason Martinson 8th, Lucas Fink 19th, Garett Grossen 26th, Mason Thompson 29th, Ty Ready 32nd, Simon Blohowiak 35th, Desi Delforge 40th, Cole Maynard 42nd, Griffin Ness 47th, then twenty more runners. The MS girls ran an incomplete team as Molly Molencamp placed 12th, Jill Marty 50th, Deedra Delforge 52nd and Sara McNulty 68th of 81 runners.

To prepare for the conference meet, the NGM’ers train this Saturday rather than compete. We hope that fresh legs produce some upsets at the upcoming battle on Tuesday afternoon.

One more session of study hall on a jiggly school bus. Maybe being tossed around for an hour will encourage us to “shake-up” the competition.