Linn cross country coach Robyn Baker said Thursday’s Belle Invitational was a good meet for the top-four Wildcats, with nice weather and great competition. “The races were quick, and the athletes kept up and competed well,” she noted.

The girls’ race included a larger number of teams than in past years, but Linn girls did well and finished just three points behind first, so it was a close race.

Genna Haslag is having an excellent freshman year, finishing fourth in 22:46 at Belle.

“She had another great start in this race and didn’t let up the entire time,” said Baker. “Genna consistently stayed in the top five. Charli Lenger is doing a really nice job of sticking close to Genna in each race.”

She was 10th through most of the race, but by the second loop, had moved up and finished with an eighth-place medal in 23:58. “Her finish was, again, really good, and I love to see that drive at the end,” said Baker. “After the last race, we talked with Kylie Messenger (13, 24:45) and Shayla Burnett (25, 26:19) about pushing each other harder if they are going to run together. They did just that in this race. Kylie pushed Shayla to compete through the first half of the race. Kylie pulled away and ran to a 13th-place finish, which helped our team score considerably. Shayla didn’t stay with Kylie the entire time, but she definitely looked stronger through more of the race this week. Though she didn’t medal, her time was solid, and we are happy to see her continuing to improve.”

Elyse Brandt (27, 26:43) is finding the next gear in each race, which has been Baker’s goal for the season. “She got out well in this race and stayed strong through the course,” said Baker. “We needed her to move up in the second loop, and it was so good to see her change that pace and move. I am excited to see her succeed in each race.”

Emerson Bowser (38, 29:44) had a great race at Belle, and it was so good for her confidence. “She really likes this course and came out competitively with a good start and strong effort through both laps,” said Baker. “I am glad to see her getting back in the running groove.”

Linn’s boys are working to have a good pack time and move up more as a group. At Belle, the first and fifth runners were less than two minutes apart. “We are getting closer, which is nice to see,” said Baker. “Jackson Hamburg (20, 21:17) and Vince Tschappler (21, 21:19) are working hard to get their times below 21 minutes. “They started well and separated a bit in the middle, but by the end, they were within seconds of each other. Jackson earned the last medal, and Vince missed a medal by one place, but it was good to see them push each other.”

Isaiah Franken (32, 22:30) was unable to run the previous Saturday, so it was good to see him back on the course at Belle. “He had a nice start and pushed himself to stay in the middle of the pack the entire race,” said Baker. “We are going to continue to push him closer to Jackson and Vince, and I know he can do it. Dawson Sprenger (40, 22:55) had a nice race, and it was good for his confidence. He is working hard in practice, and it was good to see that come out in this race at Belle. Dawson kept up with Isaiah in this race, and again, we will continue to push him up there at a quicker pace throughout the race.”

Reid Baker is getting stronger with each race, finishing 43rd in 23:02. “It was a fun one to watch compared to his time from a year ago,” said Coach Baker. “He was exactly two minutes faster than a year ago on the same course, which was amazing. He finished with a nice kick as well, which is something he has been working on in practice.”