Rocket runners compete at Rugby

The first season of the revitalized NR-S Cross Country program is drawing to a close, but the Rockets are still speeding up as they take part in their last few meets.

The Rocket runners set plenty of personal records during the junior high/junior varsity Cross Country meet, which took place on Saturday, Oct. 7 in Rugby.

Competing in the girls’ race for the Rockets were Elise Guler and Makaya Heskin, both of whom earned their personal best times.

Guler crossed the finish line in 33rd place with her personal best time of 15 minutes and 9 seconds (15:09), and Heskin ended her race a couple minutes later in 59th place, with her best time of 17:44.

For the Rocket boys, meanwhile, Gabe Smith led the way with a time of 12:21 – just 19 seconds off his best time – to finish in 13th place overall.

Just behind was Vinnie Ruppell, who finished in 26th place with a solid time of 12:59. Seth Greiner finished in 45th place with his personal-best time of 13:54, and August Meier crossed the finish line in 62nd place with his personal-best time of 14:54.

Meanwhile, Jacob Louters also took part in the meet, making his first appearance for the Rockets’ cross country team. Louters finished in 83rd place with a time of 16:56.

Altogether, the Rockets placed 9th out of 26 teams in attendance for the Rugby meet.

Looking ahead, the Rockets competed in their final regular season meet on Thursday, Oct. 12 in Cooperstown, and will compete at the region track meet in Cooperstown on Saturday, Oct. 21.