Athens and Sayre cross country teams traveled to Bloomsburg University on Saturday to compete in the Northeast PA Cross Country Invitational.
In the boys race, out of 24 teams, Sayre finished in third place with 165 points. Athens held its own by finishing in 15th with 404 points.
“The kids ran very well today, but we still have a lot of hard work ahead of us. For the boys to go in and place third in a field like this, I am really impressed,” said Sayre coach Randy Felt.
State College won the boys meet with 109 points, followed by Danville with 120 points and Sayre. Jersey Shore, with 168 points, was furth and Indian Valley rounded out the top five with 180 points.
Sayre’s Shawn Lake finished in fourth place with his time of 17:08. Also for Sayre, finishing in 21st and 22nd, were Mark Hedgeland with his time of 17:55 and Tim Romanauski with a time of 17:57. Frankie Galazia had a 58th-place finish with his time of 19:01.
Athens made its debut in 64th and 65th place. In 64th was Jarod Stringham with a time of 19:09 and 65th was Colin Rogers with his time of 19:09.
Sayre slipped in at 67th place with Alex Porter’s time of 19:12, teammate Jason Gay ran in for 87th-place with a time of 19:35.
Athens’ Ben Knecht finished in 92nd place with a time of 19:43, Chris Searfass finished in 96th with a time of 19:51, Nate Brown ran in for 100th place with a time of 19:59, and Dave Vine finished in 147th place with a time of 21:45.
“This was a big meet for us. It gives us a real good look at what to expect at the district meet in a few weeks,” said Felt.
In the girls section of the race, Sayre finished in 11th place with 301 points and Athens finished in 15th with 433 points.
State College also took the girls event with 81 points followed by Cardinal O’Hara with 91 points. St. Basil Academy ran to third place with 120 points, followed by Lewisburg in fourth with 126 points and Danville, which rounded out the top five with 130 points.
Sayre’s Hannah Robinson finished in ninth place with a time of 20:30 and teammate Beth Walker ran in for a 21st-place finish with a time of 21:13.
Athens’ Hannah Harvey-Sampson finished in 26th place with a time of 21:26. Sayre’s Rose Velazquez finished in 62nd with a time of 22:40 and Athens’ Ashley Whipple finished in 65th with her time of 22:47 while teammate Christina Estes finished in 97th with a time of 24:12.
“I am really excited to see Hannah and Beth run strong up front today,” said Felt.
Sayre’s Amanda Merrill and Alex Middlebrook finished in 116th and 117th places, respectively, with Merrill’s time of 24:59 and Middlebrook’s time of 25:06. Christi Friedricksen finished in 123rd place with a time of 25:22.
Athens’ Holly Ulmer finished in 140th with a time of 26:48, Pan Pan Chen finished in 145th with a time of 27:32, and Desiree Kyle finished in 163rd with a time of 31:18.
Athens’ next meet will be on Tuesday at Canton, while Sayre will travel to Troy.