The hard work in practice is finally paying off for the Shawano Community High School cross-country team.
At its home invitational Saturday, the boys team took first place in Division 2, while the girls team placed ninth.
“They are coming out here and doing what we ask of them. Our practices and our conditioning that we are putting these kids through is sometimes pretty brutal,” SCHS head coach Steve Stomberg said. “They are going through it and the results, when they come up and get a medal — the smile on their face is priceless. I feel bad in some practices watching how tired and how exhausted they are, but this all pays for it.”
Austin Lhotka paced the boys team with an 11th place finish overall, and Andrew Cardish added a 15th overall finish. Those times also ranked fifth and seventh, respectively, in Division 2. Chase Lhotka ran the ninth-fastest time in Division 2 as well to help Shawano to a healthy lead over runnerup Seymour.
Junior Grifin Bohm and sophomore Steven Hoffman rounded out the scoring with times just under a six-minute pace.
“Anytime you are at home, you want them to perform as best as they can in front of their home fans,” Stomberg said. “Typically, we only get one home meet. This is our only chance to show off in front of our home fans, and it’s a great opportunity for the kids to show how hard they worked on this course.”
In the girls meet, senior Teagan Monfils led the Hawks with a time of 21:18. Sophomore Madeline Hanson followed in 22:33 before Sophia Holstrum, Makayla Stoddart, and Savannah Johnson finished between 46th and 58th in Division 2.
Bonduel also put together an impressive showing, placing first for the boys in Division 3 and second in the division for girls.
Freshman Jared Wondra again led the Bears, posting a time of 17:59 to lead all Division 3 runners. Jake Moede, Austin Kurey and Josh Schill ran within 20 seconds of each other, and Colin Ewing finished the race in 20:21, good for ninth in the division.
Sophomore Ashlyn Schnell ran the fastest time for the Bonduel girls, completing the race in 22:47. Fellow sophomores Arianna Factor and Allyssa Moser followed in second and third, respectively, for the team, while Abigail Palmer and Abby Owen finished 11th and 14th in Division 3, respectively.
“They learned that if they try hard and persevere and get through the tough times, they get to enjoy the fun times like today,” Bonduel head coach Diane Schnell said.
The strong showing by both teams could help them moving forward, but the most important task will be continuing to improve.
“I’m very proud of them for taking the step out the door this morning to do the job they need to do, but (we) can’t be complacent. There’s always room for improvement,” Stomberg said. “Just because we won today does not mean the other teams are not going to come after us. We’ve always got to be in the hunt and strive to do our best.”
Shawano Invitational
Boys
Division 2: Shawano 64, Seymour 71, Xavier 117, Oconto Falls 124, Peshtigo 127, Southern Door 132, Winneconne 154, Antigo 210, New London 214, Marinette 243, Sturgeon Bay 249.
S: Austin Lhotka, 17:10; Andrew Cardish, 17:26; Chase Lhotka, 17:34; Grifin Bohm, 18:26; Steven Hoffman, 18:28.
Division 3: Bonduel 24, Brillion 32.
B: Jared Wondra, 17:59; Jake Moede, 19:09; Austin Kurey, 19:14; Josh Schill, 19:29; Colin Ewing, 20:21.
MI: Avery Corn, 20:26; Sonny Nacotee, 20:36; Grant Gomeyosh, 21:18.
Girls
Division 2: Winneconne 77, Peshtigo 82, Southern Door 86, Marinette 94, Xavier 105, Oconto Falls 136, Seymour 170, New London 171, Shawano 192, Sturgeon Bay 246.
S: Teagan Monfils, 21:18; Madeline Hanson, 22:33; Sophia Hostrum, 23:56; Makayla Stoddart, 24:55; Savannah Johnson, 25:15.
Division 3: Brillion 40, Bonduel 42, Marion 47.
B: Ashlyn Schnell, 22:47; Arianna Factor, 23:38; Allyssa Moser, 24:04; Abigail Palmer, 24:10; Abby Owen, 25:29.
MI: Mercedes Waupoose, 24:24; Shania Teller, 27:50.
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