Area high school cross country runners started their 2026 season Wednesday at Spring Lake Park, running in the Macomb Early Bird Invite.
On the boys side, Macomb took top team honors with a low score of 19 points. West Prairie/ Southeastern was next with 59, followed by Pleasant Hills (76) and Quincy Notre Dame (92).
The race also included runners from Bushnell-Prairie City, Illini West, West Hancock, Liberty, and Mendon Unity.
Bombers runners claimed seven of the top 13 positions.
Senior Alex Simmons topped the 49-runner field, posting a winning time of 16 minutes, 45.3 seconds in covering the three-mile course.
Sophomore Jackson Petitgout was second with a time of 16:53.6. Senior Marc Simmons was sixth (17:30.3), followed by classmate Eymen Tasdan (seventh, 17:58.5), sophomore Landon Richards (ninth, 18:44.1), junior Xander Merritt (11th, 19:20.8) and sophomore Owen Haley (13th, 19:46.9).
Other MHS runners included freshman Apurva Kapale (20th, 20:54.8), junior Grant Potteet (23rd, 21:18.0), freshman Braxton Gorman (25th, 21:37.0), sophomore Alaric Gordon (26th, 21:37.9), senior Cohen Hunt-Twomey (36th, 22:57.1) and freshman Trashawn Steele (37th, 22:58.4).
Sophomore Ayden Lacey topped WP/SE with an eighth place finish, recording a time of 18:12.19.
Senior Payton Totten was 12th (19:43.6), followed by sophomore Milo Rodeffer (14th, 19:50.2), sophomore Ian Fentem (22nd, 21:15.9) and freshman Jamisen Gooden (28th, 21:41.5).
Other runners for the Cyclones included sophomore Ezra Bithos (29th, 21:42.4), freshman Connor Griswold (32nd, 21:55.9), junior Mason Sorrells (33rd, 21:57.6), sophomore Michael Lynn (43rd, 23:41.1) and freshman Cashton Shipman (48th, 27:59.6).
B-PC senior Logan Joiner finished 38th with a time of 22:59.9.
It was the second race of the week for Joiner, who began his season Monday, running at the Farmington Invitational.
He finished 48th out of 62 runners, posting a time of 23:29.93.
Princeville junior Hunter Keyster won the race in a time of 16:08.41.
On the girls side at Wednesday’s meet, Macomb took top team honors with a low score of 20 points. QND was next with 42, followed by West Prairie/Southeastern with 82 points.
The race also included runners from Illini West, Liberty, Unity and Pleasant Hill.
Individually, MHS sophomore Ella McKee was the meet medalist, topping 41 other runners in posting a winning time of 19:59.9.
Senior Ava Weaver was fourth (20:40.8), followed by sophomore Olyvia Clark (seventh, 21:50.0), sophomore Allexis Gray (eighth, 22:01.3) and junior Sofia Cardenas-Roman (12th, 23:27.3).
Rounding out the results for the Bombers were freshman Jaidyn Sollenberger (13th, 23:35.5), freshman Jalaine Archdale (14th, 23:44.9), sophomore Khloe Diggs (15th, 23:50.7) and sophomore Leah Gorman (22nd, 26:13.3).
Sophomore Brynlee Finch topped WP/SE, finishing 19th overall with a time of 25:10.5.
Freshman Alice Heinzel was 25th (26:32.1), followed by freshman Emmalyn Wilson (33rd, 29:24.9), freshman Daylee Smith (35th, 30:49.8) and sophomore Chloe Cutsinger (36th, 31:38.4).
Complete individual results from Wednesday’s meet can be found at the following link: https://www.athletic.net/ CrossCountry/meet/278261/info MHS runners return to action Sept. 5, racing in the Streaks Invitational at Lake Storey in Galesburg. The girls are slated to run at 9 a.m., followed by the boys at 9:40 a.m.
Meanwhile, Joiner, along with the West Prairie/Southeastern runners will head to Big Creek Park in Canton on Sept. 5 to race in the Canton Invitational that begins at 9 a.m.
