Dave’s XC Invitational Recap

Over the weekend, the SMCC Junior High and High School Cross Country teams traveled to Toledo to compete in the Dave’s XC Invitational.

In the high school boys race, every runner set a personal best. Leading the way was Eli Etchill, who broke the 17-minute barrier with a time of 16:59—the first Panther to do so since 2021. Senior Pavan Gorty finished 5th overall in 18:14, while Trey Robinson placed 13th in 18:55. Gio Torres narrowly missed the top-20, taking 22nd in 19:25. Rounding out the team were Carter Snyder (26:05.44) and Donovan Shafrath (26:05.97). The Panthers’ strong showing earned them a 2nd-place team finish and a spot on the podium!

On the girls’ side, all SMCC runners earned a top-20 finish. Nicolette Hile claimed the individual title with a winning time of 21:03. Evie Dinsmore finished 16th in 24:00, followed closely by Audriella Walton in 17th at 24:30.

The Junior High boys and girls also competed against deep fields. Levi Reynoso highlighted the effort with an impressive 4th-place finish out of more than 175 runners, crossing the line in 11:23.

Coach Reed praised the team’s efforts, saying:

“Today was a great day overall for Panther XC. The kids have been putting in hard work over the last month, and it’s starting to show. It’s still early in the season, so I’m excited to see what’s ahead. A special congratulations goes to Eli for breaking the 17-minute barrier—something not easy to do in cross country. The boys earning their first team podium in quite some time was well deserved. Nicolette ran a nice race, especially impressive considering she led much of the race on her own. Levi continues to push toward being one of the fastest junior high boys in program history, and I’m proud of the toughness he shows each race.”

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