(Mason Comets ~ photo via Shawn Conlon)
* A post-meet breakdown of the large schools division action by MileSplit Ohio guest contributor and event director Coach Chip Dobson *
The Mason Cross Country Invitational had a great turnout and fierce competition.
The large schools races were epic, with the Rock Bridge, Missouri boys taking it out hard and dominating from the gun. As they faltered a bit late in the race, the Mason boys surged and were able to take the race by a few points.
Brownsburg, IN, Trinity, KY and Fishers, IN also had great showings in this multi-state showdown.
Isaac Schachleiter from Mason took the individual crown with a blazing 15:45 on this challenging rolling course. The Mason boys had a team average of just 16:30, and a low score of 62 points.
On the girls side, the large schools race was even closer.
The Mason girls bested the Dupont Manual, KY team by just 10 points, in a head-to-head showdown. The Dupont Manual girls had a few very strong runners up front, including their #1 who placed 2nd overall with an 18:43 behind a strong local champ Sam Erbach, who ran a blistering 18:31, on this traditionally slower course.
The Mason girls were buoyed by their tight pack with just 37 seconds serparting their #2-5 girls.
The race also featured strong performances from the Waynesville, Ohio team and the Rockbridge Missouri team, who finished just behind Dupont Manual.
Overall, it was a great day with over 3,000 competitors, 90 teams, lots of lost shoes in the creek and an excellent environment to compete.
-- Coach Chip Dobson
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