St. Croix Central runners hit the on switch at Mondovi

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St. Croix Central coach Bill Emery said it looked like his team found a new gear at last Tuesday’s Mondovi Invitational.

The Panther boys ranked second among 13 teams, finishing behind state-ranked Colfax. The Panther girls also put together their best team performance with a sixth place finish.

Central’s boys were able to put together a rare accomplishment of getting their top five finishers to all cross the finish line within a 30-second span. The top three SCC boys (Brett Briggs, Jordan Bringgold and Nathan Bringgold) ran closely packed, placing 14th, 15th and 16th. The fourth and fifth runners, Max Kaul and Nathon Madlung, crossed the finish line together 30 seconds after Briggs finished. Logan Nelson wasn’t far behind Kaul and Madlung and Emery said he has the possibility to move up and join them in that pack.

Emery said the boys are starting to feed off each other’s energy and are using it to push themselves to better performances.

“We’re finally getting there,” Emery said of effort from the boys and girls. “I believe, for the entire team, there was a switch that went on. They were really competitive.”

That increased fire was also shown among the Panther girls. Emery said the girls are a spirited, close-knit group and they are starting to find the competitive energy to reach some of their goals. He said the return to health of Lauren Moll after dealing with a lingering Achilles tendon injury has given the team a boost.

After the Mondovi meet, the Panthers had nine days without a meet. They next compete this Thursday at Spring Valley. Emery said he planned to keep the team on a rigorous workout schedule during the long span between races, but he wanted to lighten the emotional burden that a heavy race schedule can cause.

Mondovi Cross Country Invitational

Boys team scores: Colfax 25, St. Croix Central 88, Cochrane-Fountain City 104, Elk Mound 121, Boyceville 126, Glenwood City 167, Gilmanton 217, Mondovi 220, Eau Claire Regis 223, Spring Valley 225, Melrose-Mindoro 241, Whitehall 394

St. Croix Central

finishes

14. Brett Briggs 19:02; 15. Jordan Bringgold 19:11; 16. Nathan Bringgold 19:14; 21. Max Kaul 19:32; 22. Nathon Madlung 19:32; 27. Logan Nelson 19:59; 43. Michael Hanson 20:58

Girls team scores: Spring Valley 34, Colfax 53, Melrose-Mindoro 83, Mondovi 90, Glenwood City 103, St. Croix Central 153, Eau Claire Regis 177, Elk Mound 185

St. Croix Central

finishes

14. Courtney Kramer 17:55; 27. Lauren Moll 18:53; 29. Hope Hoolihan 19:04; 41. Ella Scott 19:51; 42. Mckenzy Johnson 20:19; 45. Abbie Webb 20:47; 50. Erika Borgstrom 26:14

Tags: cross country, sports, panthers, prep