By RYAN WALKER
Stan Gilbert’s first cross country invitational with his name on it went pretty well for his Bluffton Tigers.
The 35-year girls’ head coach watched on as the boys finished in first place and the girls second at the first-ever Stan Gilbert Invitational on Saturday morning.
Gilbert and his family were in attendance along with a large Bluffton crowd of supporters to celebrate a coach’s legacy that impacted lives of runners and students for years.
One of his students and now head coach of both the boys and the girls, Michael Vanderkolk, decided it was time to stamp Gilbert’s name into a home invitational.
In Gilbert’s 35 years, he won three ACAC titles and qualified for nine regionals, including eight in a row from 1991-1999. Two times his Tigers went to the semi-state, and his most successful runner, Susan Barth, finished top 10 in the state twice.
But to receive the honor, Vanderkolk was quick to highlight Gilbert as a person, then a coach.
“His optimism shone a light through the school,” Vanderkolk said. “He was a Bluffton Tiger through and through. When I spoke to him this summer, he lit up while reminiscing over stories throughout the years, so I knew it was the right call.”
The current Tigers showed out on Gilbert’s watch on Saturday.
Levi Johns and Jude Baumgartner finished 1-2 overall to lead Bluffton to first. Aidan Graves wasn’t far behind in seventh. All three hit personal records.
For the girls, Cora Kunkel and Abigail Ramseyer continued to impress as freshmen and finished third and fifth overall. Those two along with five other runners hit personal bests.
Southern Wells also competed, and although the boys and the girls didn’t have their best days, the coaches aren’t worried.
“I had some disappointed boys,” Raiders’ head coach Monica Edgeman said. “They thought it would be better today, but we keep telling them, ‘Today isn’t your tournament. Today is not what we’ve been training since June for. We didn’t want you to PR today and not do well the next two weeks.’”
Jarin Frauhiger finished in 15th overall in the race with .01 seconds to spare over teammate Kelton Barr in 16th place. Colter Kiel finished 23rd overall. The team placed fifth overall.
For the girls, the team grew in numbers this off-season, and the results are starting to show.
Sarah McFarren finished in 13th followed by Marianne Pease in 15th. The team placed fifth overall.
Edgeman’s looking forward to seeing all of the hard work pay off at the end, but admits her girls have been banged up at the end of the season. Her balance between keeping the girls conditioned but not overworking them will be a challenge as the ACAC and sectional meets will happen over the next two weeks. But, unlike last season, the girls will have a team score with more than four runners are on the roster and ready to roll.
“Our girls last year — we were lucky to have five (runners) and we had eight most of this season. So that’s a blessing because sometimes it was a different (runner) pulling in at No. 5. Today, we’re still just battling some injuries with our No. 1 and No. 4 girl and just trying to get healthy for the next two weeks.”
In the middle school races, the Raiders swept the invitational.
The boys’ team had a team score of 17 points, defeating Adams Central with 40 and Bluffton 76.
The girls finished with a score of 38 points, beating the hosting Tigers.
As individuals, Southern Wells’ boys had the top three places. Logan Leas in first, Chase Kirkwood second and Rylan Leas third. Colten Fiechter placed fifth and Logan Rogers seventh.
For the girls, Aubree Neuenschwander and Tenly Fiechter went 1-2. Parker Bryant finished seventh and Paisley Neuenschwander 10th.
Erin Ramseyer of Bluffton was third in the girls’ race and Sophia Robles eighth.
The Tigers’ top runner was Hudson Withers in 13th.
Both will compete in the ACAC meet next week at South Adams beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 12.
ryan@news-banner.com
Individuals
Boys
Bluffton: Levi Johns finished first with a time of 16:21.7, Jude Baumgartner second (16:33.2), Aidan Graves seventh (17:34.7), Jackson Rockwell 12th (17:57.2), Griffin Linderwell 13th (18:00.8), Ryan Schlagenhauf 19th (18:25.0), Manning Nash 21st (18:43.4), Owen Lesh 25th (19:07.1), Andy Baumgartner 27th (19:12.2), Brett Kuhlenbeck 31st (19:47.5), Clayton Brubaker 32nd (19:51.8) and Azimjon Bahronov 45th (21:16.6).
Southern Wells: Jarin Frauhiger finished 15th with a time of 18:15.8, Kelton Barr 16th (18:15.9), Colter Kiel 23rd (18:53.8), Daniel Isasi Escudero 29th (19:59.3), Peyton Ellis 30th (20:01.4), Kane Jenkins 34th (21:12.9) and Braden Yencer 35th (21:31.3).
Girls
Bluffton: Cora Kunkel third with a time of 20:03.3, Abigail Ramseyer fifth (20:17.3), Reagan Harris 10th (23:17.2), Amarah Robles 12th (23:48.9), Dakota Lee 19th (24:50.2), Addison Sonnigsen 20th (24:55.2), and Namine VanHyfte 29th (26:56.8).
Southern Wells: Sarah McFarren finished 13th with a time of 24:04.5, Marianne Pease 15th (24:25.4), Keely Miller 24th (25:40.7), Kameron Hawkins 26th (26:38.6), Gracie Reeves 28th (27:17.2) and Chanie Mounsey 29th (29:01.2).
Team Scores
Boys: 1. Bluffton (35 team points), 2. Hamilton Heights (46), 3. South Adams (66), 4. Heritage (99), 5. Southern Wells (113) and 6. Blackhawk Christian (170).
Girls: 1. Hamilton Heights (26 team points), 2. Bluffton (43), 3. South Adams (81), 4. Heritage (85) and 5. Southern Wells (106)
