AKRON – It looked like summer and felt like fall on the campus of Tippecanoe Valley High School. Hundreds of runners and fans crowded the grounds at the Akron school for the annual Tippecanoe Valley Cross Country Invitational.

When the dust was all settled it was West Noble emerging as the boys race team champion with a total score of 29 points. For the girls it was Columbia City taking the top team honor with 57 points.
West Noble was led by third-place finisher Alex Deluna who finished with a mark of 16:26.6. Salvador Campos, Dakota Thompson, Erik Contreras and Justin Contreras all finished in the top 10 as well for the Chargers.

The top individual for the boys was Wesley Meyer of Rochester. He led all runners with his top time of 15:58.2. The Zebras would finish second overall as a team.

Tippecanoe Valley was paced by a time of 17:31.7 from senior Jesse Floor. Floor placed 11th overall. Jared Mikel had the second-best time for the Vikings at 19:36.9. Shay Merley (20:26.1), Evan Lowman (21:31.4), Chevy Teeter (21:46), Andy Hearrera (21:47.6) and Tyler Ross (22:13.2) rounded out the times for Valley. As a team the Vikings average time was 20:10.4.

Bailey Watkins (18:02.8) was the only for Triton to finish in the top 20 as his time earned him the 19th spot in the final standings. Shaun Honeycutt separated himself from the rest of Triton’s pack, save for Watkins, with his time of 18:53.6. Brock Watkins, Brenden Ray and Jeremiah Goodrich bunched together by the end of the race to finish with respective times of 21:34.5, 21:45.7 and 21:46.6.

Lakeland Christian Academy had two of its three runners finish the race as Josh Gervasi paced the undermanned Cougar squad with a time of 19:11.7. Sean Gormaly finished with a time of 25:50.7.

Whitko was also left undermanned for the event but that didn’t stop Josh Wright from having a top-20 finish. The junior led the Wildcats with a time of 17:52.8. Logan Busz (18:22.7), Zack Freel (19:46.7) and Ezra Miller (20:32.1) rounded out the times for Whitko.

In the girls race Columbia City was tops in every way possible. Outside of the team taking the top spot, the Eagles also boasted the race’s top individual in Hannah Wappes. the senior was nearly eight second ahead of her next closest competitor with her time of 19:16.8. Teammate Bailie Brown (19:32.7) also enjoyed a finish in the top five placing fourth. The Eagles placed two more runners in the top 20.

Triton’s girls were led by Baylee McIntire. The sophomore ran a 20:55.6 and would placed ninth. Abigail Powell was the only other Trojan to get a top 50 finish as she finished with a time of 23:42.9. Aimee Gladieux (24:01.5), Michaela Best (24:11.7) and Alysha May (26:34) rounded out the times for Triton.
Triton’s team score of 216 bested Valley’s girls who posted a 217. The Vikings were led by Karly Kitch’s 21:50. That time earned Kitch a top 20 spot at 19th.

Breelyn Conley ran a 23:02.3 to be the only other Viking in the top 50. Brooklyn Conley (24:15.9), Haley Hoover (24:26.7), Haley Headington (24:54.1), Lexis Durkes (25:37.8) and Tori Miller (37:07.6) completed the team times for Valley.

Whitko’s girls team was shorthanded with just three runners but had plenty to cheer about as Brigit Nemitz finished ninth overall with her time of 20:34.5 Suzanne Sickafoose (21:30.7 edged out Columbia City’s Lauren Keller to take 15th. Lizz Foutz rounded out Whitko’s scores with a 25:04.5.