XC team runs well at Tuscola

By Sam Waller

Despite an unexpected coaching change, the Albany cross country program opened its season Saturday, Aug. 19 with five runners competing in Jim Ned’s Warpath Invitational at Tuscola.

The runners’ next meet will be Wednesday, Aug. 30 at Haskell.

“All of the cross country athletes competed well for their first meet,” said coach Lauren Peacock, who took over the program just a week before the meet. “It was good to see where they are and how we need to attack the rest of the season. I know for a fact they didn’t have their legs under them, so their times were slower than we’re expecting, but that’s just part of the process.”

At the Jim Ned meet, Jonathan Coody placed 75th out of 160 runners in the varsity boys race. Coody clocked in at 20 minutes, 45 seconds for the five-kilometer run.

In the two-mile varsity girls race, which had 150 runners, Sidney Russell placed 102nd in 15:49, while Avery Everitt was 109th in 15:59.

In the JV girls race, Ashlyn Miller finished second among 70 entries with a two-mile time of 15:04. Tatum Grady was 50th at 21:00.