Individually, Elliott Hanson pulls off a 10th place finish
TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
On Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, the Merrill Cross Country Team had a meet at Gartzke Flowage in Antigo.
“The course is basically all uphill,” Head MHS Cross Country Coach Alyssa Swan said, “but the weather was perfect for a run!”
“It’s a tough course, where most athletes gain two minutes on their time, but we still had an athlete come home with a medal!”
As a team, the Boys Team took third place overall with a score of 75 points, Swan said. Elliott Hanson was the leader for the Merrill guys, and he took 10th place overall with a time of 22.31. Next in for Merrill was Ian Schuetze (22:31), Jacob Mueller (24:33), Brady Eggerbrecht (25:12), Treg Knospe (26:18), Anton Countryman (27:42), and Jonathon Myszka (27:45).
As a team, the Girls Team took fourth place overall with a score of 98 points. Alanna Rogers was the leader for the Merrill girls with a time of 27:59. Next in for Merrill was Madison Crossman (30:29), Olivia Bares (31:06), Brooklyn Kraegenbrink (31:06), Gracie Vanvuren (31:58), Irene Blennert (32:25), and Robin Schmidt (33:24).
Saturday, Sept. 10, Merrill runners headed to Stevens Point to compete in the Standing Rock Invitational. “The weather was drastically different from the previous meet [on Sept. 6], with a high of 64 degrees and constant rain,” Swan said. “Perfect running weather.”
“Many of our athletes got PRs (personal records) and competed well,” she said.
The Merrill Boys were led by Kaden Schwandt who ran the race in 20:53, Swan said. “He was followed by Elliott Hanson (20:55) and Parker Klebenow (21:29).”
The Merrill Girls were led by newcomer Alanna Rogers with a time of 24:33, she said. “She was followed by Breannon Herdt (24:36), Danielle Schielke (26:11), Madison Crossman (26:25), Olivia Bares (26:39), and Irene Blennert (30:04).”
Tuesday, Sept. 6, found the team en route to Marshfield for a trip to the zoo, where it wasn’t all about the animals. “The Merrill Cross Country team competed at the Marshfield Wildwood Zoo in the Marshfield ‘Kodiak Challenge’ Invitational,” Swan said. “It was a warm and humid day.”
In first for the Merrill Boys Team, Elliott Hanson came in with a time of 20:08. Next in for Merrill was Ian Schutze (21:04), followed by Logan Knospe (22:09), Caleb Norton (22:10), Kaden Schwandt (22:25), and Parker Klebenow (22:57).
The Merrill Girls Team was led by Breannon Herdt who came in with a time of 24:46. Next in for the Merrill Girls was Alanna Rogers (25:56), followed by Danielle Schielke (27:42), Madison Crossman (28:06), Olivia Bares (28:11), and Robin Schmidt (30:16).