MONROE — Monroe High School hosted the Clarence Bruess Invitational Cross Country Invitational on Tuesday, Sept. 2 at Twining Park. Monroe’s girls team won by placing six runners in the top 12 and scoring 28 points. The Monroe boys cross country team took second place with six runners in the top 17, scoring 49 points.

In the girls race, Monroe bunched sophomore Victoria Wolf (20:52.4), senior Aniyah Jackson-Bey (20:56.1), and freshman Braylin Cleary (21:03.6) at No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5 while  junior Lyla Ritschard (21:15.1) finished seventh and sophomore Alivia Mosher (21:29.3) finished ninth. 

Also in the girls race, Albany took fourth place behind freshman Emerson Butts who placed ninth in 21:52.5. Sophomore Emma Thompson was 17th (22:44.3), junior Lydia Ahnen was 28th (24:01.9), senior Emerson Briggs finished 30th (24.24.2) and freshman Brielle Smith was 49th (32:16.2). 

New-Glarus-Monticello as a team finished in sixth place with 145 points. The top runner for NGM was senior Molly Olson (11th, 21:39.5). Freshmen Mabel Jordan (29th, 24:04.6) and Lucy Sidwell (31st, 24:37.0) scored for NGM. 

The Belleville Wildcats placed seventh in the race with senior Olivia Fox finishing in 19th place in 22:57.8. Also scoring were senior Alice Elliott (44th, 27:54.2), junior Leyna Westphal (45th, 28:18.3), senior Cora Funseth (48th, 30:56.9), and senior Chloe Haack (52nd, 35:41.3).

East Dubuque won the boys race scoring 39 points. The Monroe “Hounds” bunched their top runners in front. Senior Tre Dammen was second overall in 16:52.8. Junior Kamrin Gerber-Reamer followed in seventh place (17:28.4), sophomore Weston Huntsman was 10th (17:47.6), junior Elijah Cook 14th (18:17.1), and junior Lukas Gerber 16th (18:26.5).

The Albany Comets took home seventh place (185 points). Senior Kaleb Broughton came in 13th overall (18:16.3), sophomore Kamden Broughton 27th (19:01.8), sophomore Brooks Wachholz 30th (19:15.5), sophomore Brodyn Bakken 54th (21:12.6) and senior Beckett Wachholz (61st in 21:40.0). 

New Glarus-Monticello placed ninth as a team (253 points) with junior Dylan Gardner finishing in 23rd place in 18:45.6. Sophomore Benjamin Biank was 43rd (20:16.6), sophomore Eddie Blumer 58th (21:31.1), senior Jack Umhoefer 62nd (21:55.2), and Joren Salas 67th (22:35.8). 

The Belleville Wildcats finished in 10th place with 292 points. Their runners were junior Carson Biermeier in 34th place (19:27.0), freshman Henry Koch in 55th place (21:18.7), senior Jackson Scholey 63rd (22:01.1), junior Adrian Scott 68th (22:38.5) and sophomore Nolan Hisel 72nd (23:35.6).

This was the only home cross country meet of the season for the Cheesemakers. Monroe and New Glarus-Monticello will compete in the Verona Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 6. Albany, Belleville and Argyle-Pecatonica will compete at the Darlington Invitational Sept. 6, while Brodhead-Juda is on the road at the Lodi Invitational the same day.