CRESWELL GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER MCKENZIE TRAETOW PLACED 74TH OUT OF 144 RUNNERS AT THE COUNTRY FAIR CLASSIC ON OCT. 17. TRAETOW, A SENIOR, RAN THE 5K RACE IN A TIME OF 23:46.9. Tom Page/For The Creswell Chronicle
As he has all season, sophomore Brandon Moehlmann paced Creswell Bulldog harriers during the Country Fair Classic, held Oct. 17 at Richardson Park at Fern Ridge Lake.
The Classic – during which most Creswell runners recorded a personal or season’s best time – was the Bulldogs’ final outing before Districts.
Moehlmann bettered his previous personal record by 31 seconds, placing 70th in a field of 197 runners in the boys’ varsity 5,000-meter race with a time of 18:14.6.
Josiah Lee, a fellow sophomore, was close behind, placing 78th with a 1:27 PR of 18:26.8. Sophomore Seth Handman finished 152nd in 20:25.2 – a 1:03 PR. Freshman Chance Hemenway finished in 21:42.6 and freshman Gonzalo Cardenas finished in 33:58.6, a 1:37 PR for him. Teammate Jackson Velarde did not run, and it is uncertain whether he will compete at Districts.
South Eugene topped a roster of 25 boys’ teams with 48 points. Sheldon placed second with 53 points and Newport was a distant third with 149.
Senior McKenzie Traetow led Creswell’s incomplete girls’ varsity team, placing 74th out of 144 runners in the girls’ 5k with a time of 23:46.9 – an impressive 2:04 PR. Fellow senior Emily Garcia finished in a season’s best time of 28:23.6. Teammate Morgan Janshen did not run but is expected to compete at Districts.
South Eugene placed first among 16 girls’ teams with 35 points. Sheldon was a distant second with 115 points and Springfield was third with 148.
”As a coach you want your athletes to have their best performances at the end of the year, and that is exactly what our Creswell athletes are doing,” said Creswell Head Coach Jonathan Ferguson. ”These last two weeks have been breakout weeks for everyone on our team.”
The Special District 4 3A Boys’, 2A/1A Boys’ and 3A/2A/1A Girls’ Cross Country Championships will be held Oct. 25 at Valley of the Rogue State Park in Gold Hill.
”With our district championship races coming up (this) week, we could not be any more ready than we are right now,” Ferguson said. ”I am so proud of the way we have competed in our recent races, and I know that our team is ready for the challenges that await us come championship season.”
