Both Clarke cross country teams finished fifth at the South Central Conference Meet held at Lake Fisher in Bloomfield on Oct. 9.
Senior Kylar McCann became a four-time all-conference performer by placing eighth overall in the girls race, running 17:47 over the 4K course. On the boys side, senior Chasen Selsor also earned all-conference honors by finishing eighth overall in 18:38 for the 5K course.
The boys team finished fifth with 110 points. Also running on the boys varsity squad were Christian Andrade, who finished 20th in 19:59; Corbin Simmons, who finished 23rd in 20:03; Jared Jamison in 28th, Mason Simmons in 31st, Jake Manternach in 34th and Nick Johnston in 41st.
Tiffany McKnight finished 20th in the girls race, running 19:46. Samaria Parada and Elly Watkins finished 28th and 29th, respectively, in 21:06 and 21:07. Mayela Vega finished 31st in 21:45 and Tracy Morgan finished 34th in 22:24.
The girls team finished fifth with 116 points, just 10 points behind Eddyville-Blakesburg for fourth place.
“The weather was chilly and only digressed to cold and rainy as the meet progressed,” head coach Kayleen McCann said. “The course was challenging to all but perhaps the first-place winners in the varsity races as they easily pulled away.”
Ron Landphair Invite
The Clarke cross country teams also competed in the Ron Landphair Invite in Mount Ayr on Oct. 11.
Chasen Selsor led the way for the Indians, placing fifth overall in 18:20. Christian Andrade and Jake Manternach had top-20 finishes, placing 19th and 20th, respectively, in 19:28 and 19:31.
Corbin Simmons finished 24th in 19:44, while Mason Simmons finished 29th in 20:11. Jared Jamison came in 48th with a time of 21:34.
On the girls side, Kylar McCann led the way with a sixth-place finish in 16:27. Tiffany McKnight placed 14th in 17:47, while Elly Watkins finished 33rd in 19:33. Mayela Vega placed 43rd in 20:39.
“The weather was much improved from Tuesday’s meet,” McCann said. “It was a true fall day, and it made for good running and times. The high school runners had strong races and it was a morale-booster to end the regular season on a positive note.”
In the junior varsity division, Nick Johnston placed sixth for Clarke, Geo Smith finished 10th and Ali Aly finished 13th.
The junior high team earned three medals, with Ian Showers winning the boys meet after placing second at the SCC meet. Kylie Shields and Lindsey Mumaw each earned medals as well, placing fourth and fifth, respectively.