NEW HAVEN — Linn opened its cross country season Saturday at the New Haven Invitational, where the Lady Wildcats finished fifth as the school’s only full scoring team.

Linn entered the season with a mixture of returning runners and athletes new to cross country. Coach Tasha Haslag said several additional Wildcats are still completing the required number of practices before entering competition.

The Lady Wildcats scored 165 points, edging Owensville’s 167 and Hermann’s 175.

Lily Baker led Linn with a 33rd-place finish in 28:30.9. L. Baker was among the runners who put in considerable work during summer conditioning as the Wildcats prepared for the season.

Adalyn Brandt and Elyse Brandt also attended nearly every summer conditioning opportunity. A. Brandt finished 60th in 32:54.9, while E. Brandt was 65th in 33:13.6.

Haslag said the consistency shown by those runners during the summer gives them a foundation to build on as the season progresses.

Allie Hackmann and Enslee Stevenson are both newcomers to cross country after friends encouraged them to join the team.

Other varsity girls results were Charli Lenger (41, 29:42.7), Kylie Messenger (59, 32:53.7), Hackmann (71, 34:06.9), and Stevenson (87, 43:50.0).

Four Wildcats competed in the varsity boys race, with Jackson Hamburg leading Linn in 40th place with a time of 22:56.5.

Hamburg and Vince Tschappler both put in considerable work during the summer. Haslag said the opening race presented challenges for both, but the work already invested gives them a strong foundation for the season.

Emmit Mehmert and Samuel Heckman have also developed a competitive dynamic in practice, encouraging one another while pushing each other to improve.

Other varsity boys results were Tschappler (50, 24:30.1), Mehmert (62, 29:47.4), and Heckman (63, 30:25.0).

Carson Cozart was Linn’s lone JV boys runner, finishing 70th in 43:15.8. Cozart was a regular at summer conditioning and now has his first race as a starting point moving forward.

Landon Engelhardt led Linn’s middle school boys with a personal record on the New Haven course, taking 17th in 15:15.6.

Engelhardt was Linn’s lone middle school boys runner last season but has been joined this year by Thatcher Gray, Collin Kempker, and Jagger Maasen, all of whom are new to cross country.

Gray finished 29th in 16:18.1.

Other middle school boys results were Kempker (58, 22:27.3) and Maasen (65, 25:07.3).

Kensington “Kenni” Kramer led Linn’s middle school girls, placing 13th in 16:57.6. Haslag said Kramer is a natural competitor who consistently works hard in practice and when it is time to race.

Daphnie Baker joined the program following an encouraging track season and has quickly shown a willingness to work, while Grace Hall is another newcomer who has embraced the team’s approach. Haslag said Jaeden Theissen is also continuing to build confidence as a runner.

Other middle school girls results were D. Baker (29, 20:09.9), Hall (35, 21:11.4), and Theissen (42, 23:23.8).

Haslag said the first meet gave Linn a starting point and the coaching staff will make adjustments to workout timing and structure as the Wildcats continue building strength, speed, and consistency.

“Our goal this season is to get 1% better every day,” Haslag said. “Sometimes that 1% shows up on the clock, and sometimes it is learning how to race smarter, encourage a teammate, finish when things get difficult, or come back the next day ready to work again. This race gave us a starting point, and now we get to build from it.”