RICH PALZEWIC
CORRESPONDENT

GREEN BAY – The Bay Port cross country teams not only had to battle 13 other squads at the Green Bay Southwest Invitational on September 8, but Mother Nature as well.
The Pirates got a sneak peek at some of its competition in rainy conditions at Enos Colburn Park in front of hundreds of spectators. Almost 900 runners competed in the JV and varsity meets.
The boys’ team finished third behind Kimberly and Appleton North with their 80 points, while the girls came across in ninth with 235 points. The placings of the top five runners for each team counted towards the overall point total.
Senior Kyle Thieme led the boys with an 8th place run in a time of 16:44:44. Other finishers were Ryan Thieme (12, 16:57:46), Drew Dahlin (16, 17:01:07), Andrew Abfall (17, 17:06:87), Andrew Aderhold (27, 17:36:40), Peter Martin (49, 18:26:58), Tyler Guetschow (51, 18:30:84) and Ben Hoskyn (55, 18:39:73).
For the girls, senior Savannah Huben’s time of 19:54:27 was good enough for 8th place. Pulaski’s Annika Linzmeier won the race with a time of 18:45:54.
Other Bay Port finishers were Rachel Hoffman (33, 21:01:45), Natalie Shulstad (62, 22:12:00), Madeline Peck (63, 22:12:19), Eden Witt (69, 22:19:19), Cora Klemme (70, 22:19:40), Ava Murphy (80, 22:49:22) and Celeste North (83, 22:59:56).
“It was fun to watch,” said Bay Port head coach Mike Jameson. “Kyle (Thieme) led the team nicely and had a good first mile. They had a nice pack with four guys in the top 20. I know Savannah (Huben) won’t be thrilled with (her race), but she knows it’s a process to build towards October.”
Next Thursday, September 14, the Pirates host the “Pirate Invitational” at Meadowbrook Park in Howard, with the action beginning at 4:00.
“It’s very exciting having it there,” Jameson added. “It’s also unique this year because the conference championships are also at Meadowbrook Park.”
Note: for full results go to www.xctiming.com and search for “Green Bay Southwest Invite.”