NTL CROSS COUNTRY: ATHENS WANCK WINS BOYS RACE, BRONSON SECOND IN GIRLS FIELD; BOTH TEAMS PLACE FOURTH AT COACHES INVITE (18 PHOTOS) (2024-10-12)
By CHRIS MANNINGValley Sports ReportROME — For Athens sophomore Graham Wanck, finishes don’t get any closer than they did on Saturday at the end of the boys’ varsity race of the NTL Coaches’ Cross Country Invitational.
Trailing coming down the stretch, Wanck caught a fading Creed Dewing at the line to get the win in 16:15.1.
He beat by Dewing by 0.1 seconds, similar to last year’s finish where CV’s Kristian Mizdail edged both Dewing and Wanck.
“Coming off last year, I learned a lot,” Wanck said. “It was my first time racing those guys, but I have so much respect for Creed just going into the race. He’s a senior and he’s taught me so much, I just knew whatever the outcome was, we’d both have respect for each other at the end of the day.
“I passed him at the line, and I didn’t think I’d get the chance. I think I saw him getting woozy, and I’m like, ‘it’s time to go for it and give it everything I got,’” said Wanck.
Dewing gave it everything he had, passing out at the finish just after he crossed. The senior Panther led Wanck lead for much of the race, but on the last loop around the high school he took the lead and opened it up to about 30 meters.
“I knew he normally had a good kick from previous seasons when we’ve raced each other,” Wanck said. “I knew I was just going to go out hard and give it everything I had.”
The Wildcats finished fourth as a team with 104 points as senior Ethan Hicks (17:51.4) had a top-15 performance as well, taking 13th.
Sophomore Jacob Shores (18:25.3) was 19th, sophomore Matt Rossettie (18:52) came in 25th, and senior Lohith Kinthala (21:48.7) rounded out their top five in 62nd.
Also for the boys, Sayre sophomore Glen VanBenthuysen (19;53.6) came in 42nd.
On the girls’ side, senior Sara Bronson (19:45.4) took home silver as she broke the 20-minute barrier. Wellsboro’s Lauren Kosek (18:36.7) took home gold.
“I felt really good about my race,” Bronson said. “I ran about the best race I thought I could, and I’m happy with how I ran.”
Kosek pulled away early, leaving Bronson to fight off Towanda’s Izzy Larson (20:01), who took home bronze.
“That definitely motivates me to keep pushing,” Bronson said about hearing feet behind her. “It’s good to have a good group of girls up front to run with.”
The Wildcats also took fourth with 93 points.
Junior Ava Hughes (22:26.9) finished in the top-15 with a 13th place, while Karolin Roelle (24:27.5) took 25th. Sophomore Haylie Horton (25:17.9) finished 31st, and sophomore Grace Ellsworth (25:27.2) rounded out the top five in 34th.
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IN PHOTO 1: Athens senior Sara Bronson. IN TOP PHOTO: Athens sophomore Graham Wanck overtakes NEB’s Creed Dewing at the finish line. … PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING.
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