Goessel cross-country competes at Bennington

By DELBERT PETERS

Staff writer

Goessel cross-country runners faced temperatures in the 90s and wind as they competed in a Thursday meet at Bennington.

“The course was dry and dusty and the kids battled the heat as much as the competition,” coach Brian Lightner said. “We worked this week on pacing, and the ‘Birds showed tremendous improvement.”

Dawson Duerksen led the boys with a time of 20 minutes, 27 seconds for the 5,000-meters. Nate Impson and Jerah Schmidt finished with their best times of the season in 20:47 and 20:54 respectively. Rounding out the scoring for the Bluebirds were Zack Guerrero, 22:20, and Noah Regier, 22:30.

The girls’ team finished fourth, with Julia Nightengale taking 14th with a time of 23:49. Right behind was Elyse Boden in 15th at 24:11. Cassandra Rust, 26:01, Porclein Unruh, 26:49, and Neviah Impson, 28:37, completed the team scoring.

The weather, 94 degrees and windy, prevented some runners from reaching their potential.

Goessel raced at Marion Country Club on Tuesday.