Early Saturday morning, Gibson Southern’s cross country team hit the road and traveled to Lincoln City, Indiana for the Heritage Hills Patriot Invitational.
On that balmy day, Gibson Southern and seven other cross country teams raced to the finish line. The girls team finished third overall, while the boys team finished fourth.
“It was very hot,” sophomore Aidan Alston said. “There was some pushing going on in the front pack. I managed to secure second at the start of the race. I didn’t want to go really hard at first and gas out because of the heat.”
Alston was a podium finalist for the boys. He ran his personal best time, coming in third place.
“I was satisfied with third,” he said. “It was definitely better than I have done all year. I ran a personal best of 16:38.”
Sophomore Reece Runyan finished second for the men’s team, crossing the finish line at 18:08.45.
The girls team placed third overall in the Patriot Invitational. Two Lady Titans placed back-to-back. Junior Molly Spindler finished in 13th place at 22:25.73, and freshman Abigayle Steckler finished in 14th place. Steckler finished with a time of 22:27.75.
“I wasn’t satisfied with my placement,” Steckler said. “I felt like I didn’t go as fast as I could have gone during the race.”
Steckler does not want to be looked down on as a freshman. She holds high standards for herself and strives to be the best no matter what the situation is.
“I have to push myself more,” Steckler said. “In middle school, I felt more at the top.”
The boys and girls had great practices the week prior leading up to their Saturday morning race. Head coach Jeremy Aydt helped them prepare for the morning invitational.
“Overall, I thought the boys and girls did a great job at the Heritage Hills Invite,” Aydt said. “I think they had some really good workouts during the week and that helped them.”
With the cross country season almost wrapping up, the Titans want to be ready for whatever comes their way.
As a former Titan cross country runner, Aydt brings a lot of experience to the table and can tell day-by-day how the team is performing.
“We are getting better each day,” Aydt said. “Our goal is to keep improving each meet and be ready for the Sectional.”
The team’s next meet is on Saturday morning, September 28, traveling to Pride’s Creek for the 32nd Annual Pike Central Invite.
Full Men’s Results
3rd – Sophomore Aidan Alston, 16:38.76
11th – Sophomore Reece Runyan, 18:08.45
19th – Junior Denver Clark, 18:49.46
27th – Freshman Matt Wilzbacher, 19:21.08
49th – Senior Noah Wagener, 21:05.32
53rd – Taylor Brundage, 21:35.21
65th – Freshman Zander Young, 23:24.71
Full Women’s Results
13th – Junior Molly Spindler, 22:25.73
14th – Freshman Abigayle Steckler, 22:27.75
18th – Senior Bailey Baker, 23:12.14
27th – Senior Elizabeth Steckler, 24:32.41
28th – Junior Lilly Spindler, 24:40.03
29th – Sophomore Heidi Heldt, 24:44.11
40th – Sophomore Naomi Hutchinson, 26:20.77
41st – Sophomore Ashley Phol, 26:39.63
47th – Sophomore Hannah Cox, 28:05.42
60th – Sophomore Payton Scheller, 32:32.78
