MARENGO – Bedford North Lawrence got its first look at the new Crawford County course, which will host the IHSAA regional in October, while finishing in the middle of quality packs during cross country action on Saturday.
In the boys race, the Stars finished 18th (among 28 teams in the crowded field) with 520 points. Columbus North won the meet with 36 points, followed by Louisville Manual (120), Bloomington North (126) and Bloomington South (160).
BNL finished 13th in the girls race with 369 points. No.9 Floyd Central won that title with 54 points, followed by No.12 Columbus North (59), Manual (82) and Evansville Mater Dei (166).
Hayden Rich was the top finisher for BNL in the boys race, crossing in 63rd overall in 18:18.09. Other top scorers for the Stars included Tate McFarland (100th in 18:56.33) and Eli McFarland (103rd in 19:00.58).
“The main goal was to see the course,” BNL coach Nick Boyd said. “It was a learning experience, which left us with a lot of work moving forward. Hayden put himself in a good position off the start, which led to him having a nice overall race.”
Jack Wilbourne of Signature School was the individual winner in 15:40.11.
In the girls race, BNL’s Paige Voigtschild finished seventh in 19:16.76, while Claire Voigtschild ran a strong race and finished 21st in 20:15.49.
“We came down to get a feel for the regional and we fully expect to be back here in October,” BNL coach Amy Greenan said. “It was a tough course, like a roller coaster. Lots of ups, downs, twists and turns, so I’m really glad we came. There was a lot of good competition.
“Paige was right in the thick of Floyd Central with her finish. She had a season best and a great race. Claire ran a career PR, and has a really promising season coming up. She’s going to be fun to watch.”
Ashlynn York was 86th in 22:48.47
Heritage Hills standout Kylee Waninger was the overall winner in 18:48.33.
BNL will compete in the Columbus North Invitational on Sept. 5.
Crawford County Invitational
