Platte County put all nine runners in the top 30, and the Pirates finished second out of six teams in the Pink Division of Saturday’s Sock It to Cancer Grain Valley Invitational in Grain Valley.
Blue Springs took the overall title with at team total of 42 with Platte County just four back with 46.
Platte County sophomore Tyler Stambersky (third), sophomore Mary Dellinger (sixth) and senior Madelyn Stewart (ninth) all finished in the top 10, while freshman Carlie Baker (15th) and sophomore Madison Fuller (17th) rounded out the score. Stambersky just missed a third sub-20-minute time this season, coming in at 20:17.50 at the back end of a breakaway top three.
Dellinger (21:00.90) continued a strong recent run of performances that included a PR at the previous weekend’s Gans Creek Classic.
Stewart bounced back and just missed a PR, posting a 21:53.90 to go under 22 minutes for the second time this season. Baker (22:44.80), Fuller (22:55.00), senior Indigo Teufel (18th, 23:14.10) and sophomore Arsema Ayiche (19th, 23:14.60) were part of another bunched finish for Platte County, while senior returning state qualifiers Joanna Reil (23rd, 23:57.40) and Nora McCoy (25th, 24:10.70) were back in the lineup. The Pirates entered nine total with junior Alex Yurko coming in 30th (24:51.10).
In addition to Dellinger, Baker and Fuller also came into the race after setting career-bests on the Columbia course that again hosts this year’s MSHSAA Cross Country Championships.
Stambersky, Stewart, Ayiche, Reil and McCoy have all previously run at state, but Platte County continues to feature a youthful top end of the lineup on a deep roster. The Pirates have this upcoming weekend off before participating in the Suburban Conference White Division Championships on Saturday, October 18 at Jesse James Park in Kearney.
