The McAuley Catholic cross country teams competed at the 8th annual Father Tolton Invitational on Saturday in Columbia.
In the varsity boys 5K, McAuley’s Michael Parrigon placed 13th with a time of 18:26, while Phillip Motazedi was 29th in 19:57. Parrigon brought home a medal for his performance, while Motazedi broke 20 minutes for the first time in his career.
Also competing for the Warriors were Drew Zeb (39th), Armando Alberto (40th), Kevin Tran (56th), Cliff Nolan (61st) and Grant Horinek (85th).
Columbia Independent School’s Quentin Hermann won the race in 16:56.
McAuley’s boys finished fifth in the team standings with 142 points. The top four teams were Father Tolton (33), Blair Oaks (60), Centralia (97) and Calvary Lutheran (113). There were nine full teams in attendance.
“It was a very good showing against great competition,” McAuley coach Andy Youngworth said.
In the varsity girls 5K, McAuley’s Kendall Ramsey placed 30th with a time of 24:24. Youngworth noted Ramsey was close to her state time from last year.
Father Tolton’s Elyse Wilmes won the race in 19:14.
The top three girls teams were Father Tolton (23), Blair Oaks (79) and Centralia (89).
Youngworth noted the overnight trip to compete at the event was important to the growth of the team for several reasons.
“One, it was a chance to run on the state course,” Youngworth said. “The second reason is the experience of an overnight trip, hoping that this will prepare us for the championship season. Lastly, it provided a great opportunity to run against very good Class 2 and Class 3 schools. Father Tolton is the defending Class 2 boys champion and their girls finished eighth in Class 3 last year. The racing conditions were good, overcast with temperatures in the 70s, and I think this contributed to improved times for all of our runners.”
McAuley Catholic’s cross country teams will compete in the small school Gold Division at the Missouri Southern Stampede on Saturday.
