Linn competed well as a team, and the Lady Cats earned third place behind some much bigger schools at the St. James Invitational.

Kylie Messenger (12, 23:41), Shayla Burnett (14, 23:42), and Charli Lenger (20, 24:32) finished in the top-20 to lead the team.

“They did a really good job of sticking together through most of the race and staying with the front pack,” said Coach Robyn Baker. “In the end, Kylie moved past Shayla, but both girls ran well, and it was nice to see that competitive push from both of them at the end. Their times were also good, and it was important to see them coming down as we are halfway through the season. Charli lost a bit of ground in the end, but as always, she finished competitively.”

Adalyn Brandt (22, 25:10) and Elyse Brandt (24, 25:24) continue to stick together. “It’s always fun to see who is going to come in first between the two,” said Baker. “This time, it was Adalyn, but that will only drive Elyse to be first in the next race. Genna Haslag (25, 25:26) didn’t have her best race, but she didn’t give up, and this might help her have that push she needs in the next meet. Emerson Bowser (45, 30:42) continues to improve and get stronger. She didn’t run this course last year, so it was good to see her do well on this flat course.”

Linn’s top three boys are working hard in practice and pushing each other in races, Baker noted.

Jackson Hamburg had a goal to break into 19 minutes in this race, and he did it, finishing 13th in 19:10. “His first mile was very fast, and he had a little trouble keeping that pace, but evened his pace out and earned a medal,” said Baker. “Reid Baker (25, 20:10) and Vince Tschappler (28, 20:30) keep competing for the second-place spot, and this race, Reid had a little bit more in the tank to give. His new goal is to break through 20 minutes. Vince is also going to get to that point, so this next race should be fun for both of them.”

Isaiah Franken (59, 23:36) had a better race than Belle, which Baker said was good to see. Owen Jaegers (61, 23:41), Emmit Mehmert (63, 23:47), and Samuel Heckman  (66, 24:55) are fun to watch. “They have gotten better each race as a group,” said Baker. “In this race, they really pushed each other and finished well.”

Carson Kliethermes (84, 35:05) and Carson Cozart (85, 36:18) didn’t run together, but the latter kept Kliethermes in his sights. “That helped push both of them, and they finished strong,” said Baker.

The middle school race was a little different in that it was 1.6 miles instead of the regular two miles. “All the kids had goals for what they wanted to run, and it was fun to see them get excited about their times,” said Coach Baker.

Lily Baker (13, 11:19) was the lone medalist among Linn MS runners. “She ran really well and pushed herself in this short race,” said Baker. “Bella Messenger (16, 11:38) stuck close to Lily and just missed a medal. Kenni Kramer (20, 12:11) is a strong and competitive sixth-grader. She stayed with those older girls for most of the race. Jaedyn Theissen (39, 13:31) enjoyed the short, flat course. We have been working to get her to run the entire race, and this one, she almost did that. It is hard to be the only runner on a team, but Landon Engelhardt (26, 10:41) has done a great job as the only boy on the middle school team. This time, he set a goal for himself and ran a race that accomplished that goal. I was very proud of him.”