Runners were busy last week running in three races.
They closed the week at the Spartan Invitational last Friday finishing in the top 20.
The boys finished in 17th place at the Spartan Invitational in the Green division. Daniel Billette led the team, finishing eighth in 16:40.
The girls finished 20th in the Elite Division. Nicole Hanson finished in 19th place at 18:44.
“We performed really well,” said Clarkston Girls Cross Country Coach Kevin Breen. “Nicole is now ranked as one of the top 30 runners in the state.”
Lynsie Gram set her personal best during the race with 19:47 and Erin Billette finished in 20:08.
“The elite race has the top runners from division one, two and three,” said Breen. “They allow 40 teams and have 280 runners. It is a nice indicator of when we do get to the state level races. This is one of the few races you see such a large crowd. You really have to experience it to see how you race in that kind of environment. For the girls – get out there run smart and learn how to adapt to larger numbers.”
The boys finished third at the Chesaning Invitational with 89 points in Division 1-2 on Thursday.
Nathan Heierman led the team. He finished in ninth place in 17:19.7. Finishing in the top 50 were Tyler Dunn, Scott Cousino, Chris Shook and Patrick O’Connor.
The girls finished in third with 46 points.
Two freshman led the team Kaitlyn Cavallo finished in seventh at 21:09.2 and Amanda Casetti in 12th at 21:47.1. Finishing in the top 50 runners were Monica Wanat, Kelsey Hunt, Haleigh Orr and Helen Jeffers.
The runners opened the week at the OAA Red Jamboree at Bloomer Park, Sept. 11.
The Lady Wolves took second place with 86, behind Seaholm’s 41 points.
“It was a very respectable finish,” said Breen. “Seaholm is one of the top teams in the state right now. Rochester Adams (finished third) is up there as one of the better teams so beating them was a step in the right direction for us.”
Finishing in the top ten were: Hanson at 19:13in fifth and Gram at 19:50 in tenth.
The boys also finished second with 67 points. Lake Orion took first with 56. Finishing in the top were Daniel Billette at 16:43 in fifth and Sam Tanielian at 16:52 in seventh.
The teams run in the OAA Jamboree #2 on Monday at Stony Creek Metropark giving them a week to prepare.
“We are getting in a little extra mileage in this week,” said Breen. “When they go up in mileage the pressure goes down in workout.”