HIBBING- North Woods cross country runners fared well in one of the largest meets of the year in the Hibbing Rotary Invitational last Thursday.
Over 160 runners from 24 schools toed the line for the boys 5K race around the Hibbing Municipal Golf Course, with three Grizzlies runners finishing in the top quarter of the field. Alex Burckhardt led the way for the South Ridge Panthers squad with an 11th-place finish with a time of 17:27.4. Lincoln Antikainen slid into the 32nd spot with a time of 18:04, and Kahlil Lightfeather-Spears placed 35th in 18:09.2. With teammate Sawyer Fierke-Lepp placing 15th, the Panthers finished in second place behind winner Duluth East.
With 19 schools and 138 runners in the girls race, the course was almost as crowded, but North Woods’ Zoey Burckhardt managed to weave her way to a 16th-place finish with a time of 20:46.2. Addison Burckhardt also edged into the top quarter of competitors by finishing 34th with a time of 21:46.8. As a team, the Panthers placed tenth.
The Panthers were scheduled to complete in the Ely Invitational on Thursday.