Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette
High college runners take off from the beginning line Thursday on the Bill Feezey Memorial Invite at Michigan Tech Trails in Houghton.

By Eddie O’Neill

eoneill@mininggazette.com

HOUGHTON — With a temperature within the low 50s, and an overcast sky masking the Keweenaw, the Houghton Gremlins girls and boys cross nation groups took benefit of the best circumstances and received their respective races on the Bill Fezzey Memorial Invite held on the Tech Trails on Thursday. The boys completed first with a rating of 39 – beating out Jeffers (61) and Kingsford (95) within the high three spots.

The Houghton women had a profitable rating of 27. Behind them in second place was Hancock (45), and Ironwood (75) got here in third.

Interestingly, each Gremlins’ groups dominated the Top-10 finishes. Among the lady runners, Tessa Rautiola received the race with a time of 21:25.1. Teammate Ayla Miller completed sixth with a time of twenty-two:42.1. Behind her was Katie Sarau coming in at 23:01.4 and an eighth-place spot. Kiira Niska closed out the highest completed at No. 10, with a time of 23:37.4.

While “perfect” climate was useful and being at residence was snug, the Tech Trails are by no means straightforward in response to Rautiola.

“I came out hard and tried to pace myself with the other girls before breaking away,” she stated. “For the most part I am happy with my time.”

On the boys’ facet, it was Chassell’s Kalvin Kytta who crossed the end line first with a time of 17:40.9. Birk Seagren was the primary Gremlin to complete. He got here in third at 18:09.6, and proper behind him was Ben Hemmer at 18:55.2. The Gremlins Isaiah Lawson completed seventh with a time of 19:00.6. In the tenth slot, was teammate Lane Laux with a time of 19:16.9.

“This is a tough course,” stated Kytta. “I’ll be sincere; I’m glad it’s over. My technique was to exit exhausting for the primary mile and a half earlier than the hills began and simply survive from there. “

Thursday’s Invite was the second large cross-country race for this fall season. It included near 12 groups from the area with racers as younger as seventh and eighth grade. Those center college girls and boys ran first then got here the girls and boys’ JV races.

For two runners from Kingsford, Thursday’s competitors was their first races of their careers -both women on the other finish of the highschool spectrum.

At the beginning of her highschool profession was freshman Flivver Alyvia Kowalski. She was simply glad she completed (thirty fifth) her first race.

“Those hills were awful,” she stated. “They never ended.”

Her teammate and senior Flivver Ady Weber was proper behind her and echoed the same sentiment.

“I got into this this year to get in shape but this was hard,” she stated. “I think I am having regrets.”

Zach Smith, of Ironwood, was no stranger to the challenges of the Houghton residence course on the Tech Trails. He completed tenth.

“I’d been here before; so, I knew what I was getting into,” stated the junior. “I knew it was hilly and my technique was to catch as much as individuals and choose them off if I may and it labored as I did do this, and it helped maintain my eyes off the hills. That saved me going right this moment.

UP NEXT

Area cross nation groups may have two meets subsequent week. On Tuesday, Kingsford may have their Flivver Cross Country Invite. On Thursday, Hancock will host their annual invitational.