Prep Roundup: Dow’s Garces takes third in field of 163 at Shepherd meet

Key Takeaways:

• Dow High’s Emilia Garces finished third in the girls’ Elite race
• Traverse City West and Flint Powers took top elite team honors
• Dow’s girls placed fourth, while its boys took 26th
• Freeland’s girls secured 15th in the Elite race
• Pewamo-Westphalia led the way in the girls’ Gold race, with Meridian seventh and Gladwin eighth

Shepherd’s Bluejay Invitational

High school cross-country athletes from across the region converged in Shepherd for the Bluejay Invitational. From the Elite Division races to the Gold race, the competition featured talented runners striving for top spots against robust fields.

Dow High’s Elite Girls

Dow High sophomore Emilia Garces stood out among 163 runners, crossing the finish line in 17:33.89 to secure third place in the girls’ Elite Division. Her teammates delivered solid performances: Hannah Vogel (19:55.50, 45th), Allie Metzler (19:57.44, 46th), Joylin Brillhart (20:13.25, 57th), and Kate Macfarlane (20:34.59, 73rd). Their collective efforts propelled Dow to fourth place out of 22 teams with 204 points.

Freeland, another local contender, placed 15th with 339 points. Its top finisher was Clara Kaczor, clocking 18:29.37 for 13th place.

Traversing the Elite Division

Traverse City West captured the girls’ Elite Division team title, accumulating 108 points to outdistance the field. In a separate contest, Flint Powers claimed the boys’ Elite crown with an overall 109 points.

Dow’s boys’ squad finished 26th among 35 teams, notching 613 points. Joshua Reed, running 16:56.71, led the Chargers at 86th place. He was followed by teammates Joshua England (17:09.24, 107th), Whitman Newland (17:33.00, 136th), Carston Broderick (17:39.44, 146th), and Elijah Good (17:39.77, 148th).

Girls’ Gold Race Highlights

Pewamo-Westphalia clinched the victory in the 21-team girls’ Gold race with 48 points. Meridian earned seventh place with 223, led by Mikenna Nagel’s 26th-place finish in 21:26.33. Rounding out the Mustangs’ scoring, Ellie Beach ran 21:52.37 for 34th place, while teammates Sophi Beach, Melodie Nagel, and Bayleigh Finney completed the team tally.

Gladwin grabbed eighth place overall with 254 points. Vivian O’Callaghan led her squad, finishing 27th in 21:27.02, underscoring the depth and competitive spirit seen throughout the entire invitational.