Cross Country Competes At First To The Finish Kickoff Meet

By Brent Huelsmann

The NCHS cross country teams were back in action on the campus of SIU-Edwardsville on August 26 for one of the biggest meets of the year at the Fight To The Finish Kickoff Meet. On the boys side, 36 schools competed, while 32 schools competed on the girls side. The Hornets finished ninth at the meet, while the Hornettes finished in eighth place.

Mascoutah took home first place in the boys race with 110 points. Freeburg took home second place with 128 points, and Notre Dame-Cape Girardeau finished third with 198 points. The Hornets finished with 304 points in ninth place.

Brandon Schnitker was the top finisher for Nashville with a time of 17:25 in 14th place. Caleb Zgonina crossed the line in 18:23 in 31st place as the second Hornet across the line. The third finisher for Nashville was Gavin Love with a time of 19:02, followed by Landon Davis with a time of 19:29. The fifth finisher for Nashville was Evan Anderson with a time of 20:25. Zach Langa finished was the sixth Hornet across the line, followed by Derek Baugh and Gabriel Fieber.

On the girls side, Mascoutah took home first place with a score of 83. Springfield Lutheran finished in second with a score of 105. Freeburg took home third place with a score of 111. The Hornettes finished in eighth place with a score of 148.

Jaylyn Bower was the top finisher for Nashville as she finished in a time of 22:03 in 20th place.  Sabrina Kollbaum finished with a time of 22:26 in 28th place, followed by Brittnie Bartling with a time of 23:54 which put her in 72nd place. Grace Maschhoff was right behind Bartling with a time of 24:03 in 75th place. Destyn Hausner Mills finished with a time of 24:42 in 93rd place. Kylie Kozuszek finished in a time of 25:50 followed by Havalen Pierce with a time of 26:32. Also running for Nashville was Avery Meade, Kylie Heidel, Jadah Heidel, and Micah Arnold.