It was the perfect day for a run. Everyone lucked out on Sept. 25 when warm air and clear skies greeted participants, volunteers and fans for the St. Paul Athletics Association Cross Country Finals, hosted at Westcove.
“We’ve got a great day out here,” commented Hank Smid, Athletic Director at the Regional High School. “The course is in great shape.”
The day saw 12 total races being run between the different age levels, with turns mapped out at various locations in order to account for the differing distances. Boys and girls from Grade 7 to 12 participated in the runs, and there were even a few Grade 6 students traversing the course to get some experience for next season.
According to Mandy Palinka, a staff member from Racette, the meet provides both the opportunity to be competitive, and the chance to just get out, get some exercise, and have a good time.
“We have fun,” she said. “We go out, we do our runs, and when it comes time to be competitive, they are all right in there. They all want a piece of it.”
Jonathan Randall of F.G. Miller in Elk Point sees the same balance when working with his team.
“Some of the kids are out here just to complete the run, which is fine. But some kids are out there to win,” he said. “I think both are important.”
The day’s format was certainly conducive to that balance. Schools received points for their top three finishers in each category, and then those points were tallied in order to see who went home with the banners.
Once all of the points were added up, St. Paul Regional High School went home with the Senior High Boys Banner, while an impressive effort by Ecole Mallaig Community School earned them the Senior High Girls Banner. Racette also had a strong day at the races, winning both the Junior High Girls and Junior High Boys Banners.
C Girls (2000m)
Cole, Alycia - Glen Avon - 10:20
Faucher, Hannah – Racette - 10:26
Pasitney, Sophie – Racette - 10:28
B Girls (2000m)
Gerlinksy, Morgan – Racette - 9:59
Faichney , Dawn - Glen Avon - 10:10.5
Bespalko, Sydnie – Racette - 10:11.5
A Girls (3000m)
Zieverink, Abigail – Racette - 14:28
Trottier, Mackenzie – Racette - 14:43
Theroux, Sydney – Glendon - 14:51
C Boys (2000m)
Martin, Jakob – Racette - 9:19
Jackson, Gabriel – Ashmont - 9:20
Medema, David – Mallaig - 9:31
B Boys (2000m)
Anderson, Nicholas - FG Miller - 8:21
Foote, Joshua – Racette - 8:26
Hebert, Daniel – Racette - 8:49
A Boys (3000m)
Levasseur, Brendan – Racette - 12:10
Drobot, DJ - FG Miller - 12:16
Hunter, Alex - FG Miller - 12:33
Junior Girls (3000m)
Corbiere, Brooke – Mallaig - 14:48
Kupchenko, Jodie - Two Hills - 16:05
Nowicki , Makayla – Mallaig - 16:07
Intermediate Girls (4000m)
Starosielski, Mienna – Mallaig - 20:21
Muench, Marissa – SPRHS - 20:27
Matchatis, Alycia – Ashmont - 20:46
Senior Girls (4000m)
Ozga, Haley – Mallaig - 22:45
Hebert, Seleena – Mallaig - 22:46
Kwiatkowski, Becky – Glendon - 23:41
Junior Boys (4000m)
Ference, Brodin - FG Miller - 17:29
Brousseau, Madison – SPRHS - 18:31
Seguin, Brett – Mallaig - 18:32
Intermediate Boys (5000m)
Jackson, Kona – Ashmont - 22:33
Foote, Brenden – SPRHS - 22:54
Hellquist, Logan – SPRHS - 23:16
Senior Boys (6000m)
Lupul, Nick – SPRHS - 24:31
Guilbault, Bryan – Mallaig - 26:00
Lee, Travis – SPRHS - 26:47
