Once the final runner crossed the finish line of the varsity girls race at Thursday’s Belle Cross Country Invitational at Belle City Park, a total of 20 Maries County runners left with medals around their necks while Vienna’s Eagles and Belle’s Tigers claimed the top two team spots in the varsity boys race.

Starting with the middle school boys race late Thursday afternoon, a total of five Maries County harriers earned medals for finishing within the top 20.

Vienna’s Bryce Ewers led Maries County with a second-place time of 12:42.34 followed closely by Bland’s Jackson Prater who took third place in a time of 12:45.89 leading the Bears to a seventh-place finish in the middle school boys team standings.

Eli Messersmith snuck into the top 10 of the middle boys race with a ninth-place time of 13:19.62 helping Vienna to a third-place team finish with 61 points.

Tyler Hallahan (16th, 13:28.80) and Gage Curler (18th, 13:41.22) also finished in the top 20 to earn medals for Vienna’s Middle School Eagles at Belle.

Also helping the VMS Eagles place third as a team were Dalton Timm (26th, 14:16.12), Tanner Hallahan (38th, 14:58.97), Alex Wieberg (43rd, 15:20.72), Zach Wansing (55th, 16:01.47), Drew Crum (72nd, 16:50.02) and Ben Murray (79th, 17:42.82).

Bears finishing along with Prater included Alden Zabel (24th, 14:07.01), Ryker Huebner (65th, 16:22.51), Weston Sadler (67th, 16:31.70) and Dakota Stockton (80th, 17:44.46).

Bland’s Ava Prater was the lone county medalist in the middle school girls race with a fourth-place time of 15:13.90.

Marianne Francis also placed 29th for the Lady Bears in 17:34.71 to go along with Skylar Stevens’ 36th-place time of 18:25.86.

Vienna’s Sophia Neubert just missed the top 20 and a medal with a 22nd-place time of 16:30.07.

Zoe Hawk (38th, 18:34.72) and Riley McKinnon (68th, 21:04.77) also ran for the Lady Eagles.

Maries County did the most damage in the varsity boys division where they had 10 runners earn medals in addition to Vienna and Belle placing first and second respectively in the team standings.

Belle’s Baylar Smith showed the way for county harriers with a second-place time of 18:28.68 followed closely by Vienna’s Duncan Wilkinson in a fourth-place time of 18:48.46.

Brayden Ewers (5th, 18:58.79 and Cooper Auten (10th, 19:28.56) also cracked the top 10 for the Eagles.

Hunter Schwartze (11th, 19:36.20), Gavin Schwartze (18th, 20:45.34) and Jackson Kilmer (20th, 20:55.22) made it six medalists for David Martin’s Eagles.

Garrett Gehlert (12th, 19:40.63), Barrett Finnegan (14th, 19:49.99) and Connor Weigel (17th, 20:38.33) gave Belle four medalists on their home course.

Other Eagles helping Vienna top the team standings were Thomas Douglas (31st, 22:35.12) and Ethan Rex (39th, 23:46.57).

Tigers finishing behind their four medalists include Miles Frey (21st, 20:57.47), Adrien Hoehne (41st, 23:51.62) and Karsin Siefert (46th, 25:56.78).

Capping the day of racing in the varsity girls division, Belle freshman Nolie Finnegan led county races with a fifth-place time of 23:19.56. Her teammates Tajel McDaniel (8th, 24:46.35) and Natalie Gehlert (12th, 25:54.46 also finished in the medals.

Vienna freshman Kaylee Bresnahan led the Lady Eagles with a 17th-place time of 26:28.96 followed by junior Ava Kloeppel (30th, 32:31.13).

Bland, Belle and Vienna will all race in the St. James Invitational today (Wednesday) at 4 p.m.