North Putnam cross country team competes at Jon Mitchell Invite

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

CLAYTON -- The North Putnam cross country team traveled to Cascade for the Jon Mitchell Invite Saturday.

In the boys' race, Dalton Spears was 21st with a time of 17:59, while Trenton Osborn was 39th with a time of 19:10. Joe Mindiola was 65th in a time of 21:47 and Chase Salyers was 68th in a time of 23:06. Michael Herrmann was 71st with a time of 24:12 and Jimmy Volland was 72nd with a time of 25:22.

North Putnam had two runners compete in the girls' event. Katie Douglas finished seventh overall with a time of 21:44 and Claire Dean was 55th with a time of 26:27.

"Katie wasn't thrilled with her own performance, but she ran a decent time for what she's capable of," head coach Kevin Lutes said. "She knew that she'd have to run a solid race to compete with any of the Brownsburg girls, but especially Claudia and Mallory (since she'll see them in the near future). She was close, but just didn't get it done today. Katie's a fighter though, and I know that on Monday, she'll be raring to go. And Claire, though she is very quiet, ran a tough race and held off several runners at her finish."

In the open race, Trebor Mason was 22nd with a time of 23:14 and Nicholas Ballard finished with a time of 39:52.

"Overall, I was pleased with our times compared to earlier races/trials. The kids are making steady progress. Dalton finished under 18-minutes which has been a mental barrier. I know Trenton can shatter 19 minutes, and Joe is running as consistently as I've seen him in a while. He and the team were absent senior Jared James, but I can't tell you how proud I am of the type of leader Joe has been. Any team should be so lucky to have an encourager like he has been.

"As for the rest of that varsity team, they are basically newcomers to the sport. Herrman ran earlier in high school, but drifted more towards baseball. I'm glad he has returned. Chase and Jimmy keep getting better with each week of practice, and are really just learning how to race. I'm excited about the progress they are making," Lutes added.