Orioles find success at DakXII Conference Meet

Lennox High School cross country runners turned in strong performances at the Dakota XII Conference Championships held Thursday, Oct. 9, in Canton. The Orioles competed across all divisions—Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Middle School—with several athletes earning top finishes and personal records.

The Lennox varsity boys’ team delivered a solid showing, led by Isaak Booker, who placed eighth overall with a time of 17:36.30. Senior Cloy McVey followed close behind in 10th, clocking 17:40.93. Sophomore Leo Aesoph took 17th with a time of 18:11.14, while Jackson Schmidt placed 23rd in 18:58.99. Rounding out the varsity lineup were Charley Bittner (43rd, 20:32.68), Cade Aasheim (46th, 20:41.33), and Lance Aasheim (53rd, 21:30.92).

The varsity girls were led by freshman Adie McVey, who finished 12th overall in 20:06.65, followed by fellow freshman Kamille Schmidt, 18th in 21:07.71. Eighth-grader Sophia Johnson crossed in 21:20.62 for 20th, with Lucy Carlson (22nd, 21:35.99) and Kensi Holland (40th, 23:45.06) contributing to the team score. Kaydence Gerry rounded out the group, finishing 52nd in 26:02.34.

In the JV boys’ 4000m, Isaiah Sayler led the Orioles with a 13th-place finish in 15:58.85. Freshman Quinten Lunt ran a personal-best time of 17:13.05, taking 24th overall. Also competing were Karson Iken (46th, 18:43.41) and Cade DeWolf (54th, 19:22.52), both adding solid efforts for Lennox.

The JV girls were represented by two competitors. Harper Walsh finished 36th in 21:28.28, followed closely by Lily Kuiken, who clocked 21:31.13 for 38th place.

In the middle school division, seventh-grader Gage Ebbeson ran the boys’ 3000m in 13:20.53, placing 17th, while Sawyer Johnson finished 31st in 14:40.19. On the girls’ side, eighth-graders Sophie Wood and Adalynn Nielson finished close together, with Wood running 14:49.51 for 18th and Nielson clocking 14:55.02 for 22nd.

The Orioles will now turn their focus toward the upcoming Region Meet this Thursday, Oct. 16 at Parkston. Race time is set for 3:30 p.m. The State A Meet will be held in Huron on Oct. 25.