Two meets and more than 23 miles later, the team is still giving it their all
TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
Merrill had a Cross Country Conference Meet on Saturday, Oct. 16. First to cross the finish line for the Merrill Boys Team was David Golisch with a time of 5:41 with Callen Hoeppner right behind at 5:42. Third in for the Merrill guys was Henry Reimann (6:13), fourth in for Merrill guys was Ian Schuetze (6:20) with Merrill’s Kayoda Raddatz (6:35) and Elliott Hanson (6:35) right behind and Kaden Schwandt (6:37) on their heels.
For the Lady Jays, Madison Crossman crossed the finish line first for Merrill with a time of 7:31 and Emma Marlowe came in second for Merrill at 7:54. Next in for the Merrill Girls came Annie Becker (7:59) and Breannon Herdt (7:59), followed by Olivia Pierce (8:11) and then Brooklyn Kragenbrink (8:35)
As a team, both the guys and girls came in seventh place out of the seven teams competing on Saturday but they gave it their all.
On Saturday, Oct. 9, Merrill hosted a Cross Country Meet at the Merrill Area Recreation Complex (MARC). “Merrill’s home meet occurred on a wet and foggy day,” Head Cross Country Coach Alyssa Swan said. “Our kids ran a good race, with multiple athletes medaling.”
“For the Girls Team, Elizabeth Schmidt came in first place overall with a time of 19:08. Coming in second for Merrill was Annie Becker with a time of 24:15, followed by Olivia Pierce (24:55), Emma Marlowe (25:58), and Brooklyn Kragenbrink (27:15),” she said.
“For the Boys Team, David Golisch came in first for Merrill and seventh overall with a time of 18:03,” Swan added. “Callen Hoeppner was close behind coming in eighth overall with a time of 18:10. He was followed by Henry Reimann (19:09), Ian Schuetze (19:54), Elliott Hanson (20:01), Caleb Norton (20:43), Kayoda Raddatz (21:17), and Kaden Schwandt (22:03).”
The Merrill Cross Country Team also made a contribution to Merrill’s Homecoming the week prior.
“On Friday, Oct. 1, the Merrill Cross Country team ran the Homecoming football from Lakeland Union High School (LUHS) in Minocqua to Merrill. The Merrill High School Cross Country Team came together to rush the football 44,180 yards before the start of the Homecoming assembly. The team took a bus to Lakeland, leaving Merrill at 7:30 a.m. The team arrived at LUHS and ran Merrill’s Homecoming ball around Lakeland’s field. Because LUHS is 48 miles away from Merrill, the team then drove to Tomahawk and started a 23-mile run to Merrill High School. Each athlete had to run at least one mile while holding the Homecoming ball. However, most athletes ran with the ball for 3-8 miles. The runners had a police escort (for safety) and a bus carrying the team while they ran on Hwy. 107 to J and onto JJ (Pier St.). The runners ran through town on First St., took a lap around Jay Stadium, and rushed the football into the Homecoming assembly,” Swan explained
“A lot of clubs and teams don’t get a lot of recognition, even though we have some amazing students and athletes. This was a way to get the team more involved in Homecoming.” Swan “It was a great experience and the kids had a great time!”
