NORTH VERNON – Bedford North Lawrence sisters Paige and Claire Voigtschild finished first and second in the Ray Gerkin Classic during girls high school cross country action on Saturday.
While the Stars claimed the top two individual spots, Seymour placed five runners in the top eight while winning the team title with 31 points. BNL was second with 56 in the seven-team field.
Paige Voigtschild set the pace, crossing the finish line at Muscatatuck Park in 19:19.55. Claire was right behind her at 19:23.25, clipping Seymour’s Emma Doriot at the wire.
“This is always a fun meet for us,” BNL coach Amy Greenan said. “We get to see how we measure up to a few of our conference rivals. Seymour and Jennings County have some quality girls and a lot of depth.
”Paige and Claire both had great races, their 1-2 punch pushed us up into second. Claire dropped another four seconds off her PR, and Paige was solid as always.”
In the boys race, BNL was sixth in the 10-team field with 136 points. Jennings County won the meet with 50, while Seymour was second with 71.
Hayden Rich was the top finisher for the Stars, clocking 18:29.21 while finishing 11th overall. Tate McFarland was 23rd in 19:22.05.
“Our races were the epitome of complacency,” BNL coach Nick Boyd said. “Just a little too nonchalant over the duration of the race, and not enough urgency to get uncomfortable and stay uncomfortable. At the end of the day, we have two more practice races until the sectional and we will use them to prepare. You race and you learn, and you race again. That’s the good thing about running – there will always be more races.”
Columbus East’s Norman Dixon was the individual winner in 16:31.31.
BNL will host the annual Ted Fox Invitational on Sept. 26.
Ray Gerkin Classic
