Lucy Melvin lines up with eleven other athletes for the seventh runner's race. The team arrived at the Hickory Grove golf course on this chilly Saturday morning for the Fennimore Relays. This is the only opportunity during the season for kids from each position on the varsity team to shine. The typical cross country competition includes one hundred to two hundred competitors. People tend to only notice the front runners. In the first heat of today's race, Lucy competes against her seventh runner counterparts on the other teams and gets a chance to be noticed.

Three hundred meters into the race Lucy is over the first hill on the Hickory Grove course. Twenty-two minutes pass before we see her again and she's coming down the slope leading the race. One last little hill, a sprint to the finish, and Lucy wins with a time of 22:30. She's over a minute ahead of the next gal. Today's relay race depends on the total times of all the team members, so this is a good start! Annika Ziperski (21:26) is our sixth runner today. She enjoys the hills and finishes first with a 25 second led over the next gal. Emma Martinson (21:59) defeats her nearest competitor by 40 seconds. Freshman Molly Olson (20:20), usually our fourth fastest gal, turns over the lowest time of the day for our team and comes in two minutes ahead of anyone else in her heat. Mel Fink (20:52) wins by ten seconds in the third runner's heat. Some teams don't have depth but they have quality, so winning becomes tougher in the next few races. Ruthie Zuber (20:46) crosses the line thirty seconds behind Fennimore and Albany gals. Our number one is Lily Maynard (20:45), who battles the other top gals to finish about one minute behind Hanna Martensen from Southwestern/Cuba City/Benton, one of the fastest ladies in the state.

Despite Albany, Fennimore and Lancaster bettering our gals by a few seconds in the last two heats, our New Glarus-Monticello ladies easily win taking home the First Place trophy.

Cam Arnett (21:53), Tenley Faber (22:40), Ruth Marty (22:47), Ella Salas (23:24) and Ellie Skidmore (24:29) lead all other teams as they and their team of thirteen JV gals notch another team win on the girl's side.

Last week the weather turned warm and our times slowed down. Today the sky is overcast, the air cool and misty. Perfect running weather for athletes but a bit uncomfortable for spectators. As we go through the same relays as with the women's races it's only our number one, Tommy Nelson (16:28), who finishes first in his race. He also turns over the fastest time of the day. The guys end up fifth of eleven teams. Tanner Gardner (18:18), Ian Schwartzlow (18:27), Linden Lounsbury (19:24), Kaleb Welhouse (20:54), Collin Blum (21:03) and Jack Umhoefer (21:07) make up this young NGM Varsity squad.

Photo courtesy of Steve Wehrley

Freshman Molly Olson records fastest time for NGM Varsity Gals.

Jude Rice (19:10) and Grayson Rodefeld (20:10) cross the line in 1st and 2nd with Ray Valentine (21:19) in 6th. Cartner Ness (25:41) and Iain Vinson (25:53) finish in the middle of the pack of JV guys as New Glarus-Monticello scores 48 points to take the boy's JV First Place trophy.

After enjoying the awards presentation, the teenage athletes grab more snacks and settle onto the bus while we coaches and older spectators ask to turn the heat on high then relish the feeling of warmth for the first time this Saturday.