The St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ cross-country team had a strong showing at the Spartan Classic this past Saturday.
SJO finished third in the 19-team field that ran through the streets of St. Joseph before finishing at the high school track, with the Spartans compiling 87 points. Unity won the team title with 55 points, followed by runner-up Monticello with 66. Seeger (Ind.) finished fourth with 130 points, followed by Uni High in fifth with 139 points to round out the top five teams.
“For the women, it’s another step in the right direction,” said Head Coach Jason Retz. “Many personal bests and a strong core of young women help pull this team along. It’s one thing to be physically fit, but it often takes a mental toughness that these women are showing. It’s easy to give in when things are not easy. These women have never given in. They are doing amazing things and working as a team.”
Savanna Franzen and Ava Knap paced SJO at the Spartan Classic, with Franzen taking third in 17 minutes, 57.82 seconds and Knap placing fourth in 18:02.03.
Kailyn Ingram was the next SJO runner to cross the finish line, placing 16th in 19:00.26, while Taryn Sexton (19:51.22, 31st) and Chloe Burkhalter (20:24.32, 38th) rounded out the Spartans’ top five runners.
Up next for SJO: a trip to Terre Haute, Ind., this Saturday for the Nike Twilight Meet on the campus of Rose-Human Institute of Technology before the Illini Prairie Conference Meet is set for next Tuesday in Stanford.
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