Menu
5 girls' cross country runners to watch
The girls' cross country season is fast approaching.
While much of the two-month season is done on the road, many local schools have at least one home meet.
The past year proved that this is a sport where the small schools shine the brightest. Many of the area's most luminous stars earned Semoball Awards nominations as underclassmen and are coming back for more.
Here are five girls' cross country runners to watch this fall:
Lauren Eftink, Notre Dame
Lauren Eftink won two Semoball Awards for cross country and track and field. As a repeat All-Stater for Notre Dame, she became the third girl in school history to be All-State more than once. She ran 19:26.7 to take 11th place in Class 4 and should see better results in Class 3 this fall. The Bulldogs host the Notre Dame Invitational on September 30.
Emma Niedbalski, Jackson
Emma Niedbalski qualified for the Class 5 state meet and earned a Semoball Award nomination as a freshman. She is expected to play a significant role in Jackson’s success as a sophomore. The Indians will get the cross country season started for many schools when they host the Jackson Invitational on August 26.
Kastin Cleaver, Van Buren
Kastin Cleaver took 11th place at the Class 1 state meet with a time of 21:24 and was also a Class 1 District 1 runner-up. Cleaver and classmate Ziah Been led Van Buren to second place in Class 1 as sophomores and have high expectations this fall. Van Buren host the Scenic River Run on September 20.
Kendall Marshall, Oak Ridge
Kendall Marshall led the Blue Jays to a seventh-place finish in Class 1. She finished 64th with a time of 23:48.8 and is expected as a senior to push Oak Ridge higher this fall. The Blue Jays will host the Oak Ridge XC Invitational on September 19.
Ella Harris, Bernie
Ella Harris finished 12h at the Class 1 state meet with a time of 21:24.9 as a freshman. The older she gets, the closer she'll be to reaching her potential.