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boys cross country team

White Hawks Runners Victorious in Titan Invite

By Lawrence Nemecek, 09/13/21, 8:45AM CDT

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On September 9, a dominant Mound Westonka High School cross country team traveled south to the Gerry Smith Titan XC Invite.

boys cross country team

Boys varsity team (from left): Jacob Trost, Charlie Paul, Wyatt Carlson, Lance Nemecek, Max Epsky, Owen Paul and Josh Engesser

On September 9, a dominant Mound Westonka High School cross country team traveled south to the Gerry Smith Titan XC Invite.  This was a big meet, where 32 teams gathered from across the Metro to contest their fitness and stamina on the Montgomery National Golf Course.  Beautiful, warm, humid and sunny conditions complemented the two-lap, 5-kilometer course’s lush and rolling terrain.  Head coach Butch Humbert stated the team has done decently at Gerry Smith in the past - little did he know that was all about to change. 

With the much-anticipated start of the boys varsity race, fans and onlookers could feel the ground tremble as hundreds of runners thundered forward down the first portion of the course.  Westonka had an unfavorable start position, assigned to lane one, but little would that matter as these athletes came to compete. 

As the runners looped out and came back into view, senior Lance Nemecek had the lead position for Westonka, nestled in a small group occupying the second through fourth places.  Seniors Josh Engesser and Max Epsky were not far behind, fighting to improve their standings.  With the completion of lap one, the pace quickened, and Engesser challenged and disrupted the group of three.  As athletes rounded the final uphill stretch to the finish, it was Nemecek accelerating and overtaking a Mounds Park Academy runner to cross the finish line in second place overall (out of 202) with a blistering time of 16:56.  

Emerging with points for the team came Engesser in 9th at 17:25, followed by Epsky in 26th at 18:13, junior Jacob Trost in 33rd in 18:24 and sophomore Charlie Paul in 18:29. Rounding out the field were seniors Wyatt Carlson in 55th at 18:50 and Owen Paul in 77th at 19:17. Nearly everyone on the team recorded a new PR.  As results were posted, you could hear a roar from the anxiously awaiting Westonka camp, as the boys realized they took first place by one point!

The celebration was just starting as the incredibly talented girls varsity team also emerged victorious with a comfortable lead over second place. Junior veteran Laura Sunnaborg, with a courageous race, was the first White Hawk across the line in 12th with a 20:19. A young, yet very talented, trio soon followed with ninth-grader Audrey Kirscht 18th 20:40, eighth-grader Emma Andrev 19th in 20:45, seventh-grader Sophia Engesser 41st 21:54 with ninth-grader Gabby Callahan 45th in 22:01 all contributing to point totals. 

Notable finishes were had by ninth-graders Brooke Garlock and Mari Engesser with 22:09 and 23:30, respectively.  The Westonka girls are on a winning streak with this their third victory in as many in as many races, remaining undefeated. 

The junior varsity boys respectably finished in third with five runners in the Top 20.  Those scoring were senior Henry Kluever 19:40, junior Ethan Garlock 19:59, sophomores Brandon Knock and Matthew Von Edeskuty with 20:03 and 20:15, respectively, and senior Beckett James 20:29. 

Senior Allison Soule decimated the competition in the JV girls race with a victory and time of 21:17, more than 90 seconds over second place.  Sophomore Cassie Nemecek arrived in 6th place and 23:38. Eighth-grader Payton Stover and ninth-grader Claire Rashleger rounded out the JV girls field in 24:44 and 25:29, respectively. 

And the dominance continued as the junior high boys added to the Westonka win streak with a statement victory.  This group of seventh- and eighth-graders, led by Liam Grant, Drew Carlson, Luke Sunnaborg and Brendan Rashleger, attacked the 2.5K course like seasoned professionals hungry for more while scoring points.  Bobby Trost and Gabriel Lundgren completed the line-up.

The junior high girls earned a sixth-place finish with Bette Mae Grogan with Ellie Cordahl, Claire Buetow and Cheyenne Stevens completing that roster.

The White Hawks will be at Baylor Park on September 14.

girls cross country team

Girls varsity team (from left): Mari Engesser, Claire Rashleger, Brooke Garlock, Audry Kirsch, Alli Soule, Laura Sunnaborg, Cassie Nemecek, Sophie Engesser, Payton Stover, Gabby Callahan and Emma Andrev