Juniata XC battles at Susquenita

By Kenny Varner Jr.
- Tweet
- Pin It
Updated: September 15, 2021

The Juniata girls and boys cross country teams battle the heat on the brutal Susquenita cross country course.

With temperatures approaching 90 degrees by race time, the Juniata Indians competed against Susquenita, Newport, Greenwood, Upper Dauphin, and Harrisburg Christian on the Susquenita course. The Indians were led by two freshman runners, Wyatt Stroup and Joey Bomberger. Wyatt finished 4th overall with a time of 23:24 and Joey finished right behind in 5th place with a time of 23:25. Micah Fausey came in next in 7th place with a time of 24:41. Rounding out the Indians roster was Noah Sheaffer in 18th place with a time of 32:35 and Charlie Telfer in 20th place with a time of 34:13. In team competition, Juniata lost to Susquenita 23 – 35. The other teams did not have enough athletes to score as a team. Coach Jeff Miller said “The boys ran well considering the heat. For most of them it was their first time running the course. I just wanted them to run tempo since we have the Ben Bloser Invitational on Saturday.”

The girls team was led by Senior Emily Houtz in 6th place with a time of 29:16. She was followed by first time cross country runners Haley Mummah in 10th place with a time of 31:33 and Jessie Bomberger in 11th place in a time of 31:51. Rounding out the Indians team was Elizabeth Gaisor in 15th place in a time of 35:00 and Peyton Sheaffer in 16h place in a time of 35:12. In team competition, Juniata defeated Greenwood 27-28. The other teams did not have enough athletes to score as a team. Coach Jeff Miller said “I was pleased with the girls efforts. For Jessie and Haley it was their first cross country race ever. They had to run on the toughest course we compete on and they did well considering the heat.” Juniata travels to Big Spring High School in Newville for the Ben Bloser Invitational on Saturday, September 18.