Bears Excel at Park Region Conference Meet in Underwood

by Coach Kenny Miller

The Bertha-Hewitt Cross Country team returned to Balmoral Golf Course in Underwood on Tuesday, October 14, for the Park Region Conference meet. Despite a cold, rainy day with temperatures in the 40s, the Bears rose to the occasion and exceeded expectations against a strong field of competitors.

In the junior high boys’ 3200-meter race, Ambrose Heinze broke into the top ten with an impressive 6th-place finish in 14:07.39. Teammate Owen Schultz followed with a strong performance, placing 22nd in 16:44.28.

The girls’ varsity race featured standout efforts from start to finish. Kendra Miller battled her way from 10th place at the half-mile mark to finish 3rd overall in 19:33.04, earning All-Conference honors for the fifth consecutive year. Miette Hansel secured her second straight All-Conference selection by placing 14th in a season-best time of 20:28.23. McKayla Kapphahn also turned in a personal record with a 28th-place finish in 22:04.27, while Aulani Johnson just missed a season best, placing 36th in 23:25.37.

The boys’ varsity squad came into the meet with a chance to make history by securing their fifth consecutive Park Region Conference title—and they delivered in dominant fashion.

Brady Rach led the way, winning the race in 15:49.37, just two seconds shy of his own school record, and earning All-Conference honors for the sixth straight season. Gunnar Barthel sprinted to a 4th-place finish in a personal-best 17:04.59, followed closely by Nolan Rach in 5th with another personal best of 17:06.05. Henry Lockwood placed 6th in 17:21.59, and Vance Lockwood added a personal record of 17:45.97. Jakub Stovicek capped off the team scoring with a 25th-place finish and another personal best of 19:18.46...

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