The Ballard women's cross country team turned in a strong performance Thursday evening at the Perry Invitational, finishing third overall in a field loaded with ranked competition.  The Bombers, ranked No. 8 in Class 3A, scored 75 points to place behind No. 2 Des Moines Christian (31) and No. 6 Winterset (52), while finishing ahead of No. 13 ADM and No. 13 Roland-Story.

Junior Avilee Miller continued her standout season, placing fifth individually with a time of 20:25.97, using her trademark steady pacing and late-race surge to close strong against top-tier runners.  Honor Jorgensen followed with an impressive 11th-place finish in 20:58.02, navigating the hills with confidence, while Raya Miller finished close behind in 21:06.06 to take 13th overall.

Nora Showman stepped up in a big way, finishing 24th (21:59.99) to help fill the gap left by two absent varsity runners.  Grace Grundmeyer and Sydney Sage rounded out Ballard's lineup, finishing 27th (23:23.52) and 28th (23:28.52) respectively.

Head coach Scott Barth praised his team's resilience and depth, noting the Bombers were without key varsity contributors Brooklyn Shoen and Kaitlyn Dunn, who are both nursing minor injuries.

"We were a bit short-handed tonight but performed pretty well in spite of the setbacks," Barth said. "Avilee continued her string of impressive meets, and the rest of our lineup really stepped up. Being able to compete so well in the absence of two varsity runners shows the depth and determination we have on this team."

The Bombers will look to continue building momentum as they prepare for the championship stretch of the season.

Up Next: The Bombers compete at Fort Dodge on October 9 at 4:30 PM.

Photo Credit: Davidson Photography