McPherson Middle School Cross Country Shines at Great Bend
Kramer Breaks School Record, Two Runners Crack Top 10 at Season Opener
McPherson Middle School's cross country team opened their season with impressive individual performances at the Great Bend Invitational, highlighted by a school record-breaking run and two top-10 finishes. Seventh-grader Finn Kramer stole the show with a fourth-place finish in 5:52.75, shattering the previous 7th-grade boys' mile record of 5:55 held by Tito Mendez. The record-breaking performance capped off an outstanding day for the Bullpups, who also received a stellar third-place showing from eighth-grader Xavier Hartinger, who clocked 12:30.54 to round out the team's top-10 finishers.
Coach Georgia Hitchcock's squad demonstrated solid depth across multiple grade levels, with the 7th-grade girls team finishing fifth out of six teams. Leading the girls contingent were Audrey Pflughoeft (13th, 6:57.58) and Sloan Shober (17th, 7:07.48), followed by Kamdyn Unruh (37th, 7:49.36), Arayalyn Bookless (43rd, 8:01.82), and Amelia Chennell (57th, 9:33.51). The 7th-grade boys were paced by Kramer's record run, with Jensen Hoover adding a 28th-place finish in 6:38.90 and Luke Bocox completing the race in 82nd place (9:51.63). Eighth-grade competition saw strong individual efforts beyond Hartinger's podium finish, including Caden Moors' 20th-place showing (13:58.01), Logan Mendez's 32nd-place run (15:24.06), and Monroe Schmidt's 19th-place finish (15:52.02) leading the 8th-grade girls. The promising season opener showcased the program's potential across all grade levels, with Kramer's record-setting performance serving as an early indication of the talent within the Bullpup ranks.
Greg Loving
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