Fatima’s junior high cross country runners closed their season Monday at the MS Laker Invitational, earning two medals and adding another personal best to a season Fatima coach Levi Maxwell said reflected consistent work and improvement.

Brenden Helton led the Fatima boys, placing 23rd among 156 runners in 13:13 to earn a medal. Bane Schaben finished 34th in 13:36, while TJ Lange placed 99th with a personal-best time of 15:57. “Our three boys raced well,” Maxwell said. “Our boys had a good season. They all put in the work.”

Maxwell said the season’s heat made training more difficult, but the group continued to push through it. “They gave it all they had,” Maxwell said. “We are proud of their efforts and thankful for what they were able to accomplish.”

Harper Moeller earned Fatima’s second medal, placing 21st among 121 runners in the girls race with a time of 15:07. Maxwell said the result reflected work Moeller put in well before the season began. “She really put the work in this summer and it showed,” Maxwell said. “She improved significantly since last season.”

Violet Backes was running what Maxwell described as her best race of the season before aggravating an old hip injury and having to stop. Despite the setback, Maxwell said Backes showed steady progress throughout the year.

“Violet improved in every race this year,” Maxwell said. “We are proud of these girls and thankful for the hard work they put in.”

Maxwell said all five Fatima runners entered the season finale with individual goals and competed well despite temperatures warming during the meet.

The five runners combined to earn 13 medals during the season while recording numerous personal records. “We are proud of what they accomplished,” Maxwell said. “We only had five runners, and they were able to earn 13 medals and a lot of PRs over the season.”