Comet runners get personal

Charles City girls take 1st, boys set 15 PBs

Staff Report

DIKE — There’s double-figure scoring, and there’s double-figure personal-bests

The Charles City boys cross country team reached double-figure PB’s — or PRs if you personally perfer the term “personal records” — for the second straight meet Tuesday at the Wolverine Invitational.

“I’m beginning to sense some momentum from this young group,” Charles City boys coach Ryan Rahmiller said after this varsity team placed third and and his junior varsity team placed second.

Junior Gavin Connell paced the Comet varsity squad with an eighth-place medalist performance.

“We also got a big night from Nick Litterer,” Rahmiller said. “His personal-best was a 35-second improvement.”

As for the Comet girls, they placed first in both the varsity and junior varsity races.

As usual, the Comet varsity was led by McKayla Cole, who was the winner by a long shot.

“She ran a 18:53 which is her second fastest time of her career and an improvement from 19:11 last year at this course,” Charles City girls coach Amanda Rahmiller said. “And she had no one pushing her except herself.”

Other medalists for CC were Whitney Martin (8th), Sarah Turpen (12th) and Alysha Bilharz (14th).

In the junior varsity race, Comets Gillian King and Ingrid Hernandez finished one-two while helping the Comets compile an overwhelming first-place score of 26.