The men’s and women’s cross-country teams traveled two hours to run against 15 of the best teams in the state.
And some of them finished in the dark.
The Sept. 9 event at Seneca East High School, which is 90 miles southwest of Shaker, was a nighttime meet known as Stars, Stripes & Lights. Each race began with fireworks, and the trails were illuminated. Junior runners Jesse Nathenson and London DeMarco enjoyed that new experience, even with an abnormally long commute.
“Being at night it was a lot cooler, so I think it was worth the trade off,” Nathenson said.
The women’s team, ranked third in the state, ran first and finished second overall, just three points behind the winning school. Senior Annabelle Coxon and sophomore Ellie Allan finished sixth and seventh individually. They ran times of 19:05 and 19:07, respectively, in the 5K.
The men’s team finished seventh overall, led by junior Andrew Dina and senior Kamren Graham, who ran 16:49 and 17:24, respectively.
The Raider women have since placed second of 35 teams at the Sept. 16 Boardman Spartan XC Classic. Allan took eighth place in the 5,000 meter race with a time of 19:38.8. The men’s squad placed 27th of 40 teams, with junior Andrew Dina taking 97th place (17:27.9).
The Raiders ran today at Cloverleaf High School.
This story originally appeared within the Raider Roundup, published Sept. 23, 2023.