The men's cross country team finished 7th at the very competitive Heartland Classic meet on Satuday in Pella.  Jack Chism led the Bombers finishing in 21st place running in a time of 18:26.9.  Gage Long finished 22nd and Austin Shoen finished 26th finishing in times of 18:31.8 and 18:59.  Carlisle won the meet scoring 53 team points.

Comments From Head Coach Scott Barth:

"I was really proud of my 6 runners that made the trip today. We took a step forward today with our times and our focus. Led by Jack Chism (21st in 18:26), Gage Long (22nd in 18:31), and Austin Shoen (26th in 18:59) we were off to a good start in a talented field to teams and individuals. Having those 3 under 19 was a great step for us. Next to come through was Seth Pencook (39th in 19:58) and rounding out varsity was Chase Brekke who ran a solid race (48th in 20:44). Alex Wiech also made the trip and finished with a time of 22:40.

This is the first season that we brought our boys to the meet. I saw that Jack and Gage were ready for the challenge of this meet. They, along with Austin, have emerged as good leaders on this team and they jumped at the opportunity run not only here, but also doubling up at the ADM meet on Monday. I see lots of good things happening on the boys side in terms of their work ethic and positive attitude. This will eventually come back to us in the form of time and scoring improvements down the line. They are beginning to 'trust the process' and it will pay off. 

In the meantime, I will rely on our leaders to keep up the good work and try to bring our 4-5-6 runners in closer proximity to our 1-2-3. We will get some help on Monday having Wyatt Borg making his first varsity spot after a solid race at Ballard. We also have Trent Payne returning from injury who could have an impact beginning this week. We need to be focused and patient in the meantime. We will improve a lot in the next month, I am confident in that."

The Bombers are back in action on Monday, September 21 when they compete at the ADM Invitational.  The meet will feature the MS/JV/V and will start at 4:30 PM.  Spectators are limited to two spectators per athlete at the meet.

HEARTLAND CLASSIC TEAM SCORES

1. Carlisle, 53

2. Center Point-Urbana, 54

3. Atlantic, 91

4. Davis County, 95

5. Ottumwa, 127

6. Marshalltown, 140

7. Ballard, 156

8. Chariton, 238

HEARTLAND CLASSIC INDIVIDUAL TIMES

21 Jack Chism, 18:26.9

22 Gage Long, 18:31.8

26 Austin Shoen, 18:59.0

39 Seth Pencook, 19:58.2

48 Chase Brekke, 20:44.5

55 Alex Wiech, 22:40.0

Photo Credit: Ellie Shepherd