By: Savannah Blythe

               

On Saturday, September 27, the Bridgeport High School cross country jayvee teams traveled to Warm Springs Middle School to compete in the Berkeley Springs Invitational. The autumn weather brought ideal running conditions as the teams conquered the course. Forests, fields, and hills greeted the runners as they completed the 5k race.

               

For the first place boys, there were 12 competitors from Bridgeport. Winning the boys’ jayvee race was senior Arryn Tennant with a time of 18:26.

               

The normally varsity runner has been out for the past few meets due to an ankle injury. This was Tennant’s first race back from taking weeks off running.

 

“It felt amazing to be out running again, even if it was JV. It’s one of those, you don’t miss it until it’s gone type of situations,” he said.

 

“My ankle was sore, but overall it was taped up really well and held up even in the course’s bumpier sections. The course was a really great example of what a cross country course should be; it produced generally fast times and I look forward to racing on it at regionals again on varsity, hopefully.” Tennant said.

 

Tennant will be running next meet at Ritchie County as long as he continues to remain healthy and uninjured.

 

Runner-up was Jack Funk with a time of 18:46. The next four runners were 3rd place Jacob Love 19:07, 4th place Mark Duez 19:11, 5th place Fisher Rector 19:36, and 6th place Coleton Marsh 20:23. The next trio to cross the line was Noah Kisner, Andrew Wilson, and John Dolan who placed 10th, 11th, and 12th with times of 20:59, 21:50, and 22:22, respectively. Freshman Grant Duvall was the next Bridgeport runner to cross the line at 22:39 and placed 15th. The last duo to complete the course was Sam Lacaria and Andrew Gibson who placed 17th and 18th with times of 23:04 and 23:17.

               

The only full team that was present during the boys’ jayvee race was Bridgeport, who swept the board with a perfect score of 15 points. There were a total of 22 runners in the field.

               

For the girls, there were not enough runners to qualify as a team, but Bridgeport had three girls running in the race. The first runner across the line for Bridgeport was Maggie Lohmann who placed 9th with a time of 27:29. Next up was junior Mateah Kittle with a time of 29:59 and placed 15th. The final runner across the line for Bridgeport was Katy Weber with a time of 45:01 for 19th.

               

There were a total of 19 girls that competed in the jayvee race.

               

The cross country teams will travel to Ritchie County this weekend to compete in the Ritchie County Invitational. High school races start at 11 a.m.

 

Varsity meet story coming later today.

 

Editor’s Note: Picture provided by Michelle Duez. This story was not assigned by Connect-Bridgeport.com, but was provided by the journalism department at Bridgeport High School; under the direction of Mrs. Alice Rowe.