Three Bluejay runners medal in Wausau

The Three Lakes-Phelps cross country team had another strong showing at the large Smiley Invite in Wausau this past weekend, with three athletes medaling.

Senior Nolan Waltz finished runner-up in D3 competition and finished seventh overall for the boys, while sophomore Bekah Koch and junior Rylee Glembin finished seventh and 20th in D3 action.

Waltz was one of two Bluejays off the starting line in the D2/D3 race, the first group off the line. A pack jumped out in front early on in the race, and Head Coach Laurie Levandoski said her senior runner knew he’d had to keep an eye on the pace of that group.

“Early in the race, a large group jumped out in front of the pack,” Levandoski stated. “Nolan knew he had to stick with the front pack but also knew that he could bide his time, moving ahead of some of the front runners in the second and third miles.”

Waltz ended up with a season-best time of 16:37.5 as he worked through the field. Senior Wyatt Gebele was the other Bluejay in the field and took home a time of 31.31.8.

The script then flipped to the girls’ race, where the Bluejays competed. The girls’ team is coming off a state championship appearance last year, and Coach Levandoski noted that they knew the race in Wausau this past weekend was a pivotal one on the schedule.

“Our girls’ team knew that today would be a pivotal race, both physically and mentally,” she stated after the day’s festivities. “Our girls were pleased with their race times and will try to tighten up the gaps between their teammates.”

Koch paced her teammates with a time of 21:15, which was good for a seventh-place medal in D3. Her time

was also a season best for the sophomore and good for 28th place overall. Glembin also medaled in 20th place in D3 and 63rd overall with her time of 22:25. It was also a season best for Glembin. This was a cool moment because this meet hands out medals through the top 20 finishers instead of 10 due to the size of the invite.

Erica Stauffer finished just outside of the medals, but was the third Three Lakes girls’ runner to run a sub-23-minute time. Stauffer ran the third consecutive season-best time of 22:47.

Sophomore Grace Mandli and senior Mikayla Corbett finished the day with times of 24:56 and 26:40, respectively. Corbett’s time was a season-best. Emma Eppler rounded things out at 33:48.

Things stay local for the Three Lakes-Phelps team this coming week, as the Bluejays host their invitational this coming Thursday, Sept. 24, at Big Stone Golf Course in Three Lakes. Racing starts at 4 p.m.