Newton Cross Country Teams Qualify for Sectionals
The Newton Eagles and Lady Eagles both turned in strong performances at the IHSA Regional meet to advance to Sectional competition.
In the girls’ race, Newton finished second overall with a team score of 59, earning a trip to Sectionals. Senior Layna Marshall led the Lady Eagles with a sixth-place finish, clocking a time of 19:21.7. Freshman Heather Bergbower continued her impressive debut season, finishing ninth at 20:12.9, while sophomore Avery Geier crossed in 20:55.2 for 13th. Freshman Josie Vogt ran a personal record time of 21:07.6 to take 14th, followed by fellow freshman Nora Street in 17th at 21:42.1. Kimberly Bierman (22:29.9, 22nd) and Shay Bennett (22:49.9, 25th) rounded out the lineup, all contributing to Newton’s balanced effort.
On the boys’ side, the Eagles placed fourth as a team with 125 points, also qualifying for Sectionals. Senior Hayden Borgic led the way with a time of 17:30.4 for 19th place. Fellow senior Tanner Whitaker finished close behind in 25th at 17:55.6, while junior Holden Barthlemy (18:17.1) and senior Johnnie Brant (18:42.9) secured 27th and 31st, respectively. Sophomore Alec Bower (18:56.5, 39th), freshman Kendall Probst (19:31.5, 47th), and senior Wade Ochs (20:28.5, 62nd) completed the Eagles’ scoring pack.
The Lady Eagles trailed only Marshall (42 points) for the team title, while the Eagles finished behind St. Anthony (33), Cumberland (35), and Dieterich (121) in a competitive field.
Both Newton squads advance to the IHSA Sectional meet, where they’ll look to continue their postseason momentum and earn state qualifications.
