Maire Places First in Belleville Invite

The Wildcat Cross Country team has had an aggressive week of racing. Belleville hosted two meets earlier last week, the Belleville Invitational and the Capitol Conference Challenge.
After a rainy weekend, the course was damp for the invite and the Cap Challenge, which posed minor problems for runners. Noelle Maire took first for the Belleville Invite, followed by her varsity teammates Kalin O'Rourke, Alexis Walker, Mili Julian, Angelina Parisot, Emma Veeneman and Clarice Loeffelholz.
Also at the Belleville Invite, Caden O'Rourke received a top 20th place ribbon, followed by his teammates Jordan Hosler, Gary Salmela, Josh Bowers, Sean Campbell, Julian Fullbright and Evan Reifert.
The Capitol Challenge was last Thursday, which also included a Youth Night for the Intermediate School Running Club. Thanks to all those kiddos who came to watch some racing and be recognized.
Saturday we took on a new challenge - the Midwest Invitational. This is a competitive race held in Janesville. The course, which was at Blackhawk Golf Course, was fast and flat. Our varsity competed and met their goals. They should be very proud of their accomplishments.
Noelle Maire took 4th overall, with a time of 19:42. This is a great accomplishment for a Division 3 runner in this meet. The rest of the team followed, all with impressive personal bests, Kalin O'Rourke (23:47), Heidi Wegehaupt (24:18), Eve Palmer (24:36), Rachel Uebelacker (24:43), Lexi Walker (25:03) and Britney Markhardt (25:13).
On the boy's side, Caden O'Rourke finished with an impressive time of 18:52, followed by Gary Salmela (19:19), Jordan Hosler (19:04) and Sean Campbell (20:33). All personal bests for the boys.
This week was a true testament to how hard these kids are working. To say I'm proud of them would be an understatement. Their work ethic for both Varsity and JV teams has really shown this week.
Onto Platteville next Saturday!