By Hannah Chappell-Dick

CC Runners Set Personal Records at Grove Invitational Last Saturday, September fourth, the Pirate cross country runners piled into a school bus and made the short drive to the Columbus Grove Invitational.

The Grove course was a speedy one - a triple loop down open stretches of cheering fans and flat forest trails that spits you out onto the track for the last 300 meters.

The experience is exciting, with trophies or plaques for the top 20 finishers, speakers blasting "Don't Stop Believing" at the finish line, and 41 other schools to compete with.

The cool, autumn weather was a welcome break from the blistering hot weekdays. "After a hard week of speed-work and high temperatures, we became better equipped to overcome the mental hurdles of racing," said Evania Bonifaz, a senior and co-captain, "and in the end, we came out stronger than before."

This was no exaggeration; every one of the 19 Bluffton competitors set personal cross country records.

The Girls' Red Division race kicked off the meet for Bluffton. Wauseon Junior Tessa Herring and Chappell-Dick battled for position in the last mile, both passing Mohawk's Julia Daniel who had sat in third for most of the race.

In the end, Herring pulled ahead to finish 3rd (20:10.39) and Chappell-Dick 4th (20:10.72). Van Wert's Katie Bono won the race in 19:40.66, followed by Kelli Ley of Spencerville (19:51.34).

Freshman Morgan Humphreys was next for Bluffton, coming in 19th with a time of 20:58: almost a minute faster than her previous best.

The last three Bluffton scorers crossed the line within 30 seconds of each other: Julie Althaus in 21:49, Lydia Guagenti in 22:09, and Evania Bonifaz in 22:14.

Coach Blair said that running in packs has its definite advantages; together, teammates could encourage and push each other. Audrey Marshall finished in 23:06, Delaney Reineke in 24:24, Jene Sommers in 24:34, Amber Bewsey in 25:16, Courtney Barnett in 25:22.79, Morgan Shroeder in 25:23.2, and Andrea Spallinger in 28:17.

As a team, the scoring girls took off a total of seven minutes and 11 seconds. The combined time for the girls at the Blue Jay Invitational on Aug. 28 was 1:52:31. At Columbus Grove, the total time was only 1:45:20. Bluffton placed fourth of 21 schools in the Red Division with 131 points. Van Wert won with 48. Haley Keller was once again Bluffton's lone junior high runner, finishing 80th in the 2-mile race with 15:31.75. The high school runners all made a tunnel for her to run through during warm-up, and all consider her an important part of the team, regardless of her grade.

Boys race

The competition was tight for the boys, and Drew Trusty, a Mohawk senior, won in 15:15.86, averaging under 5 minutes per mile and breaking the course record.

Matthew Herron was sixth over the line to grab Bluffton's top spot in 16:21.26. Herron is closing in on a long-standing school record of 15:52.0 set by Tom Mullenhour in 1982.

Dustin Brinkman shattered his time by almost a minute and a half, running an 18:32 and placing 61st, one heartbreaking position shy of a ribbon.

Twin brother Jordan Brinkman was next for Bluffton, with an amazing kick at the end. He sprinted over the line with huge strides to finish in 19:13. Jared Staley (19:24) and Jonathan Nisly (19:34) were close behind. Stefan Stechschulte finished next for Bluffton with a 24:58.

Captain Jared Staley said that "the team spirit really led to great times and an overall enjoyable meet."

In a lighter moment this week, a new mascot of sorts was adopted: the "Power Log." The team found it in the woods at practice and together carried it almost a mile. It was also brought to Columbus Grove. The boys joked, "Thanks to the glory and assistance of the 'Power Log,' we were all able to run with speed and endurance!" Overall, the boys finished 14th of 21 with 350 points. Delta won with 81 points.