The Bluffton cross country teams competed at the 45th annual Bearcat Invitational in Spencerville Saturday morning, September 11.

The Pirate boys finished a strong third in the 13-team Black Division race. Shawnee won with 24 points, followed by Parkway (86) and Bluffton (128).

Bluffton junior Erik Nygaard finished third in the field of 115 runners with a time of 17:21.6.

Pirate junior Sam Derstine was 20th in 19:20.1. Junior Jonah Rehm crossed the line in 32nd place in 19:45.5.

Sophomore Liam Jordan came in 34th with a time of 19:49.2. Senior Trey Boblitt was the fifth Bluffton scorer at 41st in 20:07.4.

Sophomore John Yoder came home 55th for Bluffton in 20:53.9. Junior Landon Armstrong ended up 68th in 22:17.7.

Senior Isaiah Johns of Shawnee won the boys race in 16:57.6.

Black Division Bearcat Invite Boys Team Scores:

1 Shawnee 24 points

2 Parkway 86

3 Bluffton 128  Average time: 19:17  Total time: 1:36:24 

4 Bath 133 

5 Van Buren 139 

6 Wapakoneta 145 

7 Hicksville 146 

8 Elida 211 

9 Benjamin Logan 220 

10 South Adams 221 

11 Riverdale 275 

12 Paulding 332 

DNP Lima Senior 

The Pirate girls came in ninth out of 15 teams represented in the Black Division race.

Parkway nipped South Adams 71-73 to win the girls title.

Freshman June Essinger paced Bluffton by finishing 13th in a time of 21:50.9. Sophomore Amairi Painter came home in 38th with a time of 23:46.4.

Freshman Makay Tuttle crossed the line in 41st place in 23:51.3. Sophomore Kaelin Weissling, with a time of 25:28.6, finished 66th.

Freshman Faith Combs finished 73rd in 26:19.9. Freshman Greta Kauffman came in 97th in 32:17.5.

Senior McKenzie Sturwold of South Adams won the 100-runner race in 19:53.3.

Black Division Bearcat Invite Girls Team Scores:

1 Parkway 71 points

2 South Adams 73 

3 Van Buren 92 

4 Ben Logan 98 

5 Shawnee 99 

6 Decatur Bellmont 119 

7 Bellefontaine 164 

8 Wapakoneta 190 

9 Bluffton 194  Total time: 2:01:18  Average time: 24:16 

DNP Elida 

DNP Lima Senior 

DNP Riverdale 

DNP Bath 

DNP Hicksville 

DNP Paulding