PORTAGE - Without two of its top five runners, the Monroe High School boys cross country team finished fourth out of 14 teams at the Badger Challenge on Tuesday.
The Badger Challenge takes the top five times from both the junior-senior race and freshman-sophomore race, and the meet is scored based on the total time run by those five competitors. Monona Grove captured the boys team title with a combined time of 85 minutes, 39 seconds, which was about 4 minutes ahead of the Cheesemakers (89:47) in the 14-team meet. Stoughton finished second (88:88:13) and DeForest third (89:16).
The Monroe girls cross country team finished fifth overall.
Monroe junior Dylan Scace finished seventh in the boys junior-senior race in 17 minutes, 31.88 seconds. Junior Drake Ingold placed eighth (17:34.32).
Both Monroe senior Nick Baumann and Jonah Tostrud were held out of the meet but each ran workouts in Portage.
"They have some nagging injuries so we didn't want to strain too hard after racing on Saturday," Monroe co-coach Scott Mosher said. "If those two (Baumann and Tostrud) would have run we probably would have got second behind MG. We ran hard but a nice easy pace."
Sophomore Kyle Legler finished fourth in the freshman-sophomore race (17:49.75) and turned in the Cheesemakers' third-best time.
Monroe senior Parker Ingold finished 12th (18:02.76) in the junior-senior race, and senior Ryan Peterson was 29th (18:47.98).
In the girls Badger Challenge, Stoughton won the team title (105:29) over runner-up Waunakee (105:56). Oregon took third (103:00) and DeForest was fourth (110:41), which was about 1 minute ahead of Monroe (111:11).
Monroe junior Rachel Meier took seventh in the junior-senior race (21:10.68) and was the No. 1 runner overall for the Cheesemakers.
"She (Meier) is looking really strong," Mosher said. "It was her season-best time."
Senior Jordan Hirsbrunner finished 11th (21:45.03) in the same race.
Monroe junior Kati Symons placed 24th (22:31.70).
Sophomore Natalie Faith ran a personal-record time by 35 seconds to take 23rd in the freshman-sophomore race (22:45.14), and senior Josie Eberle took 32nd (22:55.8).
"This is the first time I can remember having five girls run under 23 minutes," Mosher said. "Kati Symons is running phenomenal right now."
The Badger Challenge takes the top five times from both the junior-senior race and freshman-sophomore race, and the meet is scored based on the total time run by those five competitors. Monona Grove captured the boys team title with a combined time of 85 minutes, 39 seconds, which was about 4 minutes ahead of the Cheesemakers (89:47) in the 14-team meet. Stoughton finished second (88:88:13) and DeForest third (89:16).
The Monroe girls cross country team finished fifth overall.
Monroe junior Dylan Scace finished seventh in the boys junior-senior race in 17 minutes, 31.88 seconds. Junior Drake Ingold placed eighth (17:34.32).
Both Monroe senior Nick Baumann and Jonah Tostrud were held out of the meet but each ran workouts in Portage.
"They have some nagging injuries so we didn't want to strain too hard after racing on Saturday," Monroe co-coach Scott Mosher said. "If those two (Baumann and Tostrud) would have run we probably would have got second behind MG. We ran hard but a nice easy pace."
Sophomore Kyle Legler finished fourth in the freshman-sophomore race (17:49.75) and turned in the Cheesemakers' third-best time.
Monroe senior Parker Ingold finished 12th (18:02.76) in the junior-senior race, and senior Ryan Peterson was 29th (18:47.98).
In the girls Badger Challenge, Stoughton won the team title (105:29) over runner-up Waunakee (105:56). Oregon took third (103:00) and DeForest was fourth (110:41), which was about 1 minute ahead of Monroe (111:11).
Monroe junior Rachel Meier took seventh in the junior-senior race (21:10.68) and was the No. 1 runner overall for the Cheesemakers.
"She (Meier) is looking really strong," Mosher said. "It was her season-best time."
Senior Jordan Hirsbrunner finished 11th (21:45.03) in the same race.
Monroe junior Kati Symons placed 24th (22:31.70).
Sophomore Natalie Faith ran a personal-record time by 35 seconds to take 23rd in the freshman-sophomore race (22:45.14), and senior Josie Eberle took 32nd (22:55.8).
"This is the first time I can remember having five girls run under 23 minutes," Mosher said. "Kati Symons is running phenomenal right now."
