St. Mary’s runs in South Zone Cross Country Championships

By Cole Parkinson
Taber Times
cparkinson@tabertimes.com

With fall in the air, runners at St. Mary’s School headed east to Medicine Hat earlier this month to participate in the South Zone Cross Country Championships.

With several runners heading to the event, the school was hopeful of good weather and good results.

“The race was held at Echo Dale Park on an absolutely beautiful day. We had 10 runners entered from Grades 7-12. Distances range from two kilometres for the Grade 7 age group up to six kilometres for the Grade 12 boys division. This is a gruelling course with steep and relentless hills,” explained Staci Muller, coach of the cross country teams.

When runners finally crossed the finish line at the end of their races, St. Mary’s saw several notable performances.

“Petra Tymko was our highest finisher running an impressive two-kilometre race. She finished second out of 111 girls in her junior high division. In pre-COVID years, the top 15 finishers in Grades 10-12 would earn a spot to attend the Provincial Championships. This year, due to restrictions, the number was dropped to 10 per division,” added Muller. “Our top high school athletes were Preslee Muller finishing 15 and Dion Velarde 14.”