Schrank provided the top performance of the day for T-Birds
The Amherst boys and Lomira girls’ cross country teams secured championship victories Wednesday at the 17-school Iola-Scandinavia T-Bird Invitational.
Hosted by Iola-Scandinavia High School at the Iola Winter Sports Club on County MM, the meet showcased stellar individual performances alongside tightly contested team races across the 5,000-meter courses.
In the men’s division, Marcus Benjamin of Weyauwega-Fremont outpaced the field to capture the individual title. Benjamin crossed the finish line in 17 minutes, 18.70 seconds. His individual victory highlighted the boys’ race, though Amherst took home the ultimate prize by winning the overall team title.
The host Thunderbirds secured a sixth-place finish in the men’s standings. Evan Linjer led the way for the T-Birds, placing 18th with a time of 19:39.60. Parker Pohlman and Andy Holder finished back-to-back for Iola-Scandinavia, with Pohlman taking 43rd and Holder placing 44th. Both runners clocked identical times of 22:18.80. Brecken Stalter narrowly missed a spot in the top 50, finishing 52nd with a time of 23:05.30.
The women’s division featured a battle for the team crown that ended in a deadlock for the runner-up positions. Lomira won the women’s team title, while host Iola-Scandinavia and Amherst tied with 103 points each; Amherst listed 3rd and the T-Birds 4th.
Individually, Evelyn Bablitch of Rosholt dominated the women’s 5,000-meter race. Bablitch claimed first place in 20:55.60.
Revyn Schrank provided the top performance of the day for the host T-Birds. Schrank earned a third-place podium finish, crossing the line in 21:33.50. Nola Mae Vater also secured a top-15 spot for the Thunderbirds, coming in 12th with a time of 24:16.90.
Ari Hahn added a 26th-place finish for the T-Birds in 26:54.90. Abby Sqiertz and Lydia Jones finished consecutively for the hosts, with Sqiertz placing 40th in 29:30.40 and Jones taking 41st in 29:34.90. Hannah Olson rounded out the varsity performances for the Thunderbirds, finishing 49th with a time of 30:46.00 to give the hosts three runners inside the top 50.
