Richter, Raiders win girls race; boys teams 3rd, 4th in opener

TIMM’S HILL INVITATIONAL

As expected, the Medford Raiders dominated the girls race in Thursday’s season-opening cross country meet at Timm’s Hill, but there may have been some surprising names at the top of the Raiders’ finishing list.

The Raiders put all five of their scorers among the top nine finishers and their top seven runners were all in the top 13 out of 48 finishers. Of those seven, two were freshmen and another is a new foreign exchange student competing in her first race with the team.

“There’s girls fighting for varsity,” race winner Meredith Richter said. “There’s going to be a lot of back and forth this season.”

Richter, a junior, won her second consecutive Timm’s Hill championship and did so convincingly in a time of 20:39. She finished 1:03 ahead of Thorp sophomore Shaylie Zarza, who caught Ladysmith freshman Marika Gago in the latter stages and pulled away from her by 19 seconds.

Raider freshman Lindsay Kahn debuted with a fourth-place time of 22:55, while junior Ella Daniels was an impressive fifth in 23:01 and freshman Mallory Richter was sixth at 23:18. Bjorg Risa, Medford’s foreign addition, was ninth at 23:28, while Prentice-Rib Lake’s promising varsity addition, freshman Kylie Orysen, was 10th at 23:34 as the team’s lone finisher for the day.

“It was an awesome start,” Daniels said of the team’s opening success.

“It was a good way to start the season,” Richter said.

Richter’s time was 1:09 faster than her winning time from 2021. Daniels was exactly one minute faster than last year, when she placed ninth.

“It was hard, but it was good,” Daniels said. “I surprised myself definitely. Stick with Lindsay. That was my goal. I was like I don’t want her to get away from me. I was just trying to keep Lindsay in my sights at all times and it worked.”

“I felt really good,” Richter said. “There was one girl right in the beginning who was right on me. As I pulled away, I didn’t know where she was and I wasn’t going to look behind me. I was waiting for someone to tell me where she was and (teammate) Bryn (Fronk) finally told me you’ve got a minute on her. I was freaking out that she was going to get me. But it felt really, really good.”

Raider sophomore Ella Dassow just missed earning a medal with her 11thplace time of 23:39, which was almost two minutes faster than her time from last fall, and senior Brooke Rudolph was 13th in 24:01. Newcomers Morgan Liske, a freshman, and Riley Clark, a sophomore, were 18th and 22nd in 25:49 and 26:47, respectively.

Lillie Gleichauf, a new junior to the team, place 25th in 27:35 and freshman addition Esmeralda Anderson had at 27thplace time of 27:46 in her first Timm’s Hill run. Kylie Potvin was 36th in 29:59 and Natasha Butt was 42nd at 31:45.

Medford totaled just 25 team points to easily beat Phillips (60), Ladysmith (80), Thorp (97) and Athens (104). Prentice-Rib Lake, Flambeau and Butternut were incomplete.

Boys teams 3rd, 4th

Medford put four finishers among the top 14, but it wasn’t enough to knock off potential Marawood Conference contenders Phillips and Athens in Thursday’s boys meet.

The Raiders totaled 53 points to fall behind the Loggers (37) and Blue Jays (45), while the Prentice-Rib Lake Hawks, without two of their senior leaders, placed fourth with 97 points, beating Thorp (118). Ladysmith, Flambeau and Butternut were incomplete.

Medford’s 2021 WIAA Division 2 state qualifier Tanner Hraby had a fast open- ing run, taking third out of 52 finishers in 17:59. He ran the course 1:05 faster than he did a year ago, while senior Josh Clark showed his off-season work is paying off by taking sixth in 18:49, more than 2:30 ahead of his time from a year ago.

Connor Sheahan of Athens took the lead early and never let it go, winning the race in 17:23, 18 seconds ahead of Ladysmith’s Gavin Stewart.

Raider juniors Logan Gubser (20:16) and Nick Steliga (20:25) were 12th and 14th. Gubser was 13 seconds better than last year, while Steliga was 1:09 faster. Lucas Borman was Medford’s fifth scorer, placing 31st in 24:00, almost three minutes ahead of his time from 2021.

The Hawks were led by sophomore Jack Regier, who posted a time of 20:54 to place 18th. From there, the Hawks packed things fairly well, getting a 23rdplace time of 21:51 from Elijah Scott and a 25th-place time of 22:45 by Matthew Schmidt. Freshmen Eliah Harding (23:46) and Evan Lord (23:58) were 29th and 30th, just ahead of Borman. Regier was 45 seconds better than last August, Scott was 1:47 faster and Schmidt was 1:27 faster.

Rounding results out for Medford, sophomore newcomer Brandon Curtis was 33rd in 24:17, freshmen Evan Pagel (26:13) and Cullen Jones (26:36) were 45th and 48th and senior newcomer Ervin Ulrich was 49th at 27:42.

For Prentice-Rib Lake, sophomore Connor Highfill was 41st in 26:01, about a minute ahead of last year, senior Nolan Sarkkinen was 44th at 26:11 and freshman Nick Nikkila was 52nd at 32:53.

Prentice-Rib Lake’s Henry Regier won the boys middle school race in 11:51, while Hagen Isaacson (12:27) and Jeremy Wiitala (12:48) were fourth and seventh. The Hawks were second in the team standings behind Phillips. Corbyn Radlinger led fourth-place Medford by taking 11th in 13:03.

Medford won the girls middle school title behind fourth-place Greta Seidel (14:48), eighth-place Willow Dassow (15:22) and 10th-place Olivia Schaefer (15:28). Ella Orysen led Prentice-Rib Lake with an 11th-place time of 15:38.

The Hawks are at the Marathon Invitational today, Thursday, that is being held at Nine Mile Recreation Area. Medford was at that same course for the Mosinee Invite Tuesday. The Raiders will be at the Marshfield Invitational on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Medford’s Lucas Borman begins an uphill ascent early in Thursday’s boys race at the Timm’s Hill Invitational.MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS