By RYAN WALKER
The Bluffton boys’ cross country team earned second place at the Bellmont Invite on Wednesday, topping their previous performance at Norwell, where they finished third. The Tigers had four runners finish in the top 13, all within 25 seconds of one another.
The top runner for Bluffton was Samuel Baumgartner, placing eighth overall with a time of 18:13.3. Tyler Godwin placed 10th (18:26.8) and right behind him in 11th Jude Baumgartner (18:29.9). Placing 13th was Levi Johns (18:38.1).
The core four for Bluffton will be a staple in the lineup for fifth-year head coach Michael Vanderkolk, who was happy with the performance.
“I think we did really well as a team,” he said. “Again, a lot of strong performances overall. Those four guys with Sam leading the way today, and then Tyler, Jude, and Levi coming in right behind him kind of in the top-10 range. It’s always going to be a nice showing with those four.”
The boys’ brought the band back together after missing out on last year’s Allen County Athletic Conference’s individual champion Tyler Godwin. Godwin was unable to practice right away with the team and missed the first meet but got right back in the mix of things.
Adding Godwin back into the lineup will provide a boost to the team’s finishing numbers, but it also pushes the rest of the three runners to push themselves alongside him.
“I try to get them to run together during practices andduring meets,” Vanderkolk said, “Just to be pushy and making each other better, and I think bringing back Tyler is huge for the team as a whole because it’s giving another person during the race the support with each one of those guys.”
In cross country, they take the top-five times out of each team to determine places, leaving out that fifth spot for Bluffton. There are a few candidates that can take that spot, but it is wide open.
Vanderkolk says that they’re just looking for that final piece to the puzzle. There are three that come to mind for the fifth-year head coach, including Brett Kuhlenbeck, who finished 38th at Bellmont, Griffin Linderwell, 48th, and Jackson Rockwell, 50th.
All three are either sophomores or freshmen, which adds to the pressure to be the final guy. They have until the end of the season, and the three-team race between them will be rewarded the fifth spot for a reigning ACAC championship team.
sports@news-banner.com
