XC: Girls and Boys Cross Country Teams Take on the NIC Championship

Penn Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams dominated the Northern Indiana Conference Championships, sweeping to victories at the conference meet at Ox Bow Park on Saturday, Oct. 5.

Brooke Neal won the NIC Girls race and earned MVP honors for the league.

The Penn Boys placed five runners in the Top 12, and the Penn Girls placed five runners in the Top 10.

The Boys Varsity team had a strong first-place finish at the meet with a score of 32. They were followed by New Prairie (76), Mishawaka (101), Riley (104), and Adams (133). Mariano Retzloff ran the course in a time of 16:22 and Carter Kaser ran it at 16:23. They placed second and third respectively. Other significant contributors were Ben Boardley in seventh finishing with a time of 16:49, Joshua Temeles in eighth with a time of 16:51, and Josiah Railton in 12th finishing just under 17 minutes with a time of 16:59.

The Girls Varsity team came in first place with a score of 23. New Prairie finished in second with a score of 86. They were followed by Elkhart Central (94), Mishawaka (95), and Saint Joe (118). Brooke Neal led the race and finished first with a time of 19:09. Mackenzie Holland came in second with a time of 19:42. This was Holland’s first time to run a race in under 20 minutes. Morgan Gannon placed fourth with a time of 20:14 and Aislynn Alkire placed 6th with a time of 20:24. Reagan Hoke ran the course in 20:42 and placed 10th.