Kennett secures first at Geneseo Invite
Geneseo High School senior Stephanie Kennett made one of her last runs of the Richmond Hill course a good one as she raced to a first-place finish in 20 minutes and 54 seconds in the senior girls race.
“It was pretty special,” said head coach Don Fredericks of Kennett’s win. “It was a tough meet with very talented athletes in the field. Stephanie was our only champion and I thought she had a shot, but my jaw dropped when I saw her lead.”
The Geneseo team combined for a third-place finish as Moline came in first and Rock Island second at the Sept. 20 Geneseo Invite. The Lady Leaf team combined for a second-place finish to Sterling in first, while the Leafs placed third to Moline in first and Rock Island, second.
“We saw some great things, but we are battling some illnesses,” said Fredericks. “All and all hosting a meet is great because you get to be at home and I was very happy. It was extremely muddy, but a blast.”
The senior girls placed third overall with Kennett’s finish and teammate Claire Wiese’s ninth place in 24:21.
Geneseo’s junior girls captured first place in their race as they were led by Joann Chenoweth and Danielle Dewey cracking into the top five. Chenoweth nabbed a second-place finish in 20:54 and Dewey placed fourth in 23:06. Amy Cosgrove came in ninth in 23:38, followed by Taylor Cook in 17th at 27:10.
“The junior girls did great and it was the highlight of the team finishes,” said Fredericks. “It is three wins in a row for them and their goal is to make it four for four.”
Kyle Reiling helped lead the freshman boys to a third-place finish as he finished second in 18:26. Jesse Mohr followed in 12th in 22:59 and Mickey Christensen, 13th in 24:20.
The junior boys’ squad nabbed second-place honors behind Anthony Ironthunder in third place with a time of 17:41. Carlisle Evans-Peck placed sixth in 18:17, followed by Chad Ford, eighth in 19:07 and Ian Mattan, 15th in 20:31.
Others racing for the juniors were Tyler Timmerman, 21:11; Andrew Kellogg, 21:52; Ethan Koisti, 22:30; Alex Strohmeyer, 22:42; Cameron Hodgson, 24:33; and Jacob Carton, 26:11.
Geneseo’s freshman girls finished the course in third place as Jenny Ford led the team in seventh place at 23:07. Paige Gatter came in eighth in 23:30 and Britta Conrad, 10th in 26:11.
In the sophomore boys’ race, Geneseo placed third as Thomas Sigwalt led the team in seventh place with a time of 17:58. Branden?Smith came in 10th in 18:36, followed by Greg Pemble in 21:51; John Mullin, 23:39; and Tom Dellett, 25:13.
Geneseo’s sophomore girls placed fourth overall with times from Hilary Lohman in sixth place at 24:00 and Mariah Carney, 12th in 28:17.
The Geneseo senior boys came in fourth overall as the Leafs’ lead runner, Josh Lodge took 10th in 17:44. Chris Bisom crossed the finish line in 19:09, followed by Jon Aper in 21:01 and A. J. Kellogg in 22:08.
“The results can be deceptive,” said Fredericks. “The senior boys race was loaded, it was the deepest field. I was not disappointed.”
Both cross country teams will be in action this weekend in the Rock Island Invite at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 27.
“It will be a high-powered meet with the cream of the crop from both sides of the river,” said Fredericks of what to expect from the Rock Island Invite.
