Salem opened the season by placing fourth overall in the Large-School Division of the annual Steve Waggoner Invitational, held Thursday at the Willow Springs Municipal Golf Course.
There were four schools with full teams in the boys’ Large-School Division. Salem was fourth with 106 points.
Alexander Diehl was Salem’s top finisher, placing 14th overall on the 5,000-meter course with a time of 19:11.00.
There was a total of 32 schools – whether full teams or partial teams – in three divisions: Large School, Class 2 and Class 1.
In the boys’ Large-School Division race Mountain Home’s Ky Bickford won the 41-runner event with a time of 16:35.75. In Class 2 Division Alton’s Rydan Deckard was the winner at 17:15.86 and in the Class 1 race Van Buren’s Caleb Ricker won by nearly a minute at 17:35.14.
West Plains was the boys’ Large-School team winner with 26 points, Alton the Class 2 winner with 17 points and Van Buren the Class 1 champ with 27.
In the girls’ Large-School race Hollister’s Katherine Schaefer was the medalist of the 30-runner race with a time of 20:09.61 while Logan Jones of Mansfield won the Class 2 Division at 22:59.74 and Van Buren’s Kastin Cleaver won the Class 1 Division race at 21:26.46. West Plains was the girls’ Large-School winner with 22 points, Thayer the Class 2 winner with 15 and Van Buren the Class 1 winner with 22.
This week the Tiger runners are scheduled to compete at the Steelville Invitational Thursday.
Sept. 8 at Willow Springs
Steve Waggoner Invitational
Team Standings: 1. West Plains 26, 2. Mtn. Home (Ark.) 34, 3. Logan-Rogersville 76, 4. Salem 106.
Top-5 Individual (5,000 Meters): 1. Ky Bickford, Mtn. Home, 16:35.75; 2. Hoyt Stiner, West Plains, 16:51.44; 3. Carson Smith, Willow Springs, 17:04.45; 4. William Hill, Mtn. Home, 17:13.69; 5. Carson King, West Plains, 17:14.76.
Salem Results: 14. Alexander Diehl 19:11.00, 32. Marshall Gollaher 23:01.83, 36. Nicholas Thies 24:39.86, 37. Gavyn Green 24:57.89, 38. Matthew Parks 25:01.11, 40. Elijah Brakensiek 26:32.41.
