The Manhattan cross country team continued their tradition of an annual trip to the Southern Stampede in Joplin, Missouri, Saturday with the boys team placed 10th with a score of 314 and an average time of 16:30. 

Two weeks prior, at the Manhattan Invitational the team opened their season with all five teams taking first place. On the boys side, MHS earned first place at the home meet with a score of 36 and average time of 17:09. Senior Lucas Holdren placed first overall with a time of 15:53, with the rest of the team placing in the top 33. The Varsity girls earned first place with a score of 61 and average time of 21:41 with senior Haley Henningson placing fifth with a time of 20:58. 

The boys team followed the home win with the Emporia Invitational last week, with the boys taking  2nd with a score of 72 and average time of 16:31. Holdren set a new PR on another first place run with a time of 15:36. In the Emporia meet the girls team placed second with a score of 92 and average time of 20:36. Henningson placed the highest for the team, placing seventh. 

In the Joplin meet the girls placed 10th with Henningson earning 26th with a time of 19:30. The team’s score was 331 and average time was 20:28.

“Joplin is one of the hardest meets we run in every year and we did a lot better than last year,” Henningson said.

Holdren was also MHS’s top boys runner in Joplin, taking sixth with the team taking 10th out of 41 in the biggest meet of the year.

“I ran a lot over the summer and it’s gotten me to where I am now,” Holdren said. “We just need to keep it up if we want to place top three at State.” 

The team’s next meet is at Rim Rock in Lawrence this Saturday.