Linn won last Wednesday’s Belle Invitational after a sixth-runner tie-breaker gave the Lady Cats a 38-40 edge over Steelville.

“There were not as many full girls’ teams, but still many runners, which provided a great opportunity for our girls to see how important every runner is,” said Coach Robyn Baker. “Genna Haslag is getting back in the running groove, and it is nice to see. She started in the front and stayed up there the entire time, pushing herself at key moments in the race.”

Haslag finished sixth in 23:36, followed closely by Kylie Messenger (8, 24:00) and Charli Lenger (9, 24:11). “They did a nice job of sticking together and moving with each other,” said Baker. “We have been talking in practice about running more as a pack, and those two took it to heart.”

Elyse Brandt fell a bit behind Messenger and Lenger in the pack, but maintained her position through the rest of the race and finished with a 15th-place medal in 25:05.

“Adalyn Brandt didn’t have a great start, but she did a nice job of working her way back up in the pack,” said Baker of Brandt’s 16th-place run of 25:16. “Her finish was really strong, and I was glad to see her time work its way down. Shayla Burnett (18, 25:25) ran through a rough spot and turned her ankle a bit, but she did a really good job of keeping close to Adalyn, and as our sixth runner, made the difference between first and second.”

Emerson Bowser enjoyed the weather and course at Belle, setting a personal season record with her 32nd-place time of 29:49. “I foresee her continuing to get that time down,” said Baker. “Tiauna Friend (37, 36:05) has been working hard to build up her running endurance. She did a good job of pushing herself at this race and also set a personal record for the season.”

The Linn boys have also been working on moving as a pack and pulling along their fellow runners.

Jackson Hamburg led the Linn group again this race and looked strong with a 10th-place run of 20:00. “He did a good job of starting strong and once again was so close to breaking 20 minutes,” said Baker. “I look for it to happen next race.”

Reid Baker (17, 20:21) and Vince Tschappler (19, 20:42) have been battling for the second runner spot. “At this meet, Reid earned that spot and looked strong the entire race,” said Baker. “They both kept Jackson in their sights, and their overall pack time was good.”

Isaiah Franken (42, 24:06) didn’t have his best personal race, but Baker noted he did a good job of helping some of the younger runners.

“As coaches, we have encouraged Owen Jaegers (43, 24:13), Emmit Mehmert (45, 24:22), and Sam Heckman (51, 25:46) to work to stay up with Isaiah,” Baker said. “In this race, they did a great job of doing that, and all of them had their best times. We will continue to work on getting them faster with Isaiah.”

Carson Kliethermes’ focus this season has been to be better conditioned for track, and he ran this race in 33:49 for 62nd place. “I feel certain he is going to be ready for that season,” said Baker. “He had a great race and looked stronger than he has all season.”

At the beginning of the season, coaches had a goal for Carson Cozart to finish in under 40 minutes. “He has done that consistently in each race, and I enjoy seeing how excited he gets after each race and knowing he did better,” said Baker.

Cozart posted a time of 37:26 for 65th place.

Baker said she continues to be impressed by her middle school runners. “They are excited for each race and encourage each other and the high school runners on a regular basis,” she added. “In this race, Lily Baker set a new personal record (12, 15:03), and it was fun to watch coming into the finish line as she saw her time.”

Norah Caldwell (20, 15:24.16) and Bella Messenger (21, 15:24.22) stuck together through most of the race. “It is nice to see that friendly competition,” said Baker. “Kenni Kramer (25, 16:01) got stuck a little and didn’t have her best race, but she has a competitive spirit and will be right back in it at the next race. Jaedyn Theissen (51, 19:11) came into cross country not sure how it was going to go, and she has improved every time. That is fun to watch.”

Landon Engelhardt hasn’t let being the only middle school boy discourage him, as he ran a 14:20 for 38th place. “He has lots of teammate coaches cheering for him in the race, and in this one, he let that push him to a nice time and finish,” said Baker.