Pierce Runners Compete at Norfolk Catholic Invite
By Zane McKeown
The Pierce varsity cross country teams traveled to Norfolk this past weekend to run in the Norfolk Catholic Invite, where both squads turned in solid performances against tough competition.
On the girls’ side, Isabelle Kuehler paced the Bluejays, finishing 64th with a time of 27:00.40. Close behind her was Lainey Jensen, who came in 71st, clocking 28:16.20. While the girls’ varsity team did not place overall, the pair showed steady effort on the course.
“Considering that there are only two of us, I think we did pretty well. I was faster than last year. Although the end of the race was tough, it is always my goal to at least finish the race,” Jensen said.
The boys’ varsity team had another strong outing, securing fourth place. Leading the way was Brenden Bolling, who crossed the line in 17:00.20, taking first. He was followed by Kyle Abler in 10th with a time of 18:13.07, and Kendall Shada right behind in 11th place, finishing in 18:19.83.
“Going into the meet, I knew it was going to be one of the more difficult courses of the year, but didn’t want that to be a reason for a bad time, so I knew if I gave it my all and was smart with the hills, I could get my best time of the year so far,” Bolling said.
Other Pierce runners included Blaine Anson in 38th (20:07.50), Carl Vogt in 61st (21:41.10), and Maxwell Weber in 69th (22:16.11).
With several runners placing well and showing consistency, the boys’ squad proved once again that they are building momentum for the rest of the season.
