By Brenda Erdahl
Sports Editor
The Irish girls ran to a third-place finish at the Central Minnesota Conference cross country championships early last week in Kimball.
St. John’s Prep took the title with 34 points, Tuesday, Oct. 17 on the Kimball Golf Course. Paynesville claimed runner-up with a score of 71 and Maple Lake finished with a 92.
Maple Lake sophomore Carmyn Anderson led the Irish pack with her ninth-place finish in 22:30.01. Not far behind her was Irish eighth grader Lauren Anglin who claimed 13th place in 23:25.5. Jackie Pribyl was next for the Irish, finishing 19th in 23:59.1 and Khloe Uecker was right on her heals finishing 20th in 24:00.7. Peyton Walberg was 31st for the Maple Lake team in 25:16.7; Abby Gindele was 38th in 26:21.7 and Claire Meyer was 40th in 26:40.2.
Nick Lind led the boys to their sixth-place team finish. Lind was 5th in a time of 17:17.1. Hayden Dircks was 25th with a time of 19:55.2; Logan Anglin was 27th in 20:13.2; Blake Stoeber was 39th in 21:46.2; Shay McClory was 44th in 23:36.6 and Cole LaFave was 45th in 23:36.7.
St. John’s Prep swept the conference championships by winning on the boys side as well. They scored the low 38 for first place. Holdingford was second with 43 points and Eden Valley-Watkins-Kimball was third with a score of 109.
The cross country season is nearing its finale with the section finals coming up this week on Thursday, Oct. 26 at Hinckley-Finlayson High School where Irish runners will race for a state meet berth.
Maple Lake’s Carmyn Anderson races toward the finish line at Kimball. She finished ninth overall.