Linn ran at the Owensville Invitational for the first time this year on Tuesday of last week.

“It was an excellent course for our runners, and the competition included several larger schools, which is always positive,” said Coach Robyn Baker.

Genna Haslag (20, 23:34) and Charli Lenger (22, 23:49) again got out well and medaled in a tough field.

“Those two are fun to watch run together,” said Baker. “Charli, as of late, has a better first half of the race, and Genna pulls ahead of her in the second loop. As we get to the end of the season, we are working to keep their endurance up through the entire race.”

Kylie Messenger was not excited about her last race, so she was determined to make this a good one and finished in 24:58 for 34th place. “She had a solid start and pushed herself through the entire race,” said Baker. “Shayla Burnett (42, 26:20) and Elyse Brandt (47, 26:25) continue to battle back and forth for our fourth spot. Shayla had a strong finish just ahead of Elyse at the finish line, but Elyse is running more consistently through the race.”

Emerson Bowser started a little slow at the start line, but she picked it up and had consistent mile times, finishing 65th in 30:46. “Our goal as we finish the season is to drop her mile time each race,” said Baker.

Linn’s boys found themselves in the back of the pack as the race started, but most were able to work their way back into the middle through the first loop.

Isaiah Franken had an excellent race and is finding himself closer to that sub-20-minute race time, finishing in 20:38 for 45th place. “He is a very relaxed runner, and that worked to his advantage in this race as he worked his way up to the middle of the racing group,” said Baker. “Vince Tschappler (49, 20:49) is working hard in practice, and we have been focusing on quicker mile times consistently. He did a great job of that this race, and I anticipate his next race to be even better.”

Dawson Sprenger continues to push himself in each race, and this was a good one for him as he placed 67th in 22:34. “The weather was a bit cooler, and he seemed to excel in that, which is good as we get into the cooler part of the season,” said Baker. “Jackson Hamburg (68, 22:40) has been battling some illness, so this wasn’t his best race, and the cooler weather made it hard for him to get a good breath. However, I was proud of him for powering through, and he used Dawson to pull him along and encourage him to keep his time down. I look forward to seeing him back to racing at his peak.”

Reid Baker started the race well and was one of Linn’s runners to get out a bit quicker. “His first mile was right where he wanted to be, but he struggled a little in mid-race,” said Coach Baker. “He will use this to motivate him in our next race in Vienna.”

Baker posted a time of 24:05 for 71st place.