Photos by: Marcia Street
The Newton Eagles cross country teams turned in strong efforts over the weekend, with the girls’ squad racing to a runner-up finish and the boys competing hard in a deep and competitive field.
On the girls’ side, Newton tallied 62 points to place second overall, trailing only St. Joseph-Ogden (38) in the team standings. Effingham rounded out the top three with 78 points.
Senior Layna Marshall led the way for Newton with a top-10 finish, placing eighth overall in 20 minutes, 34 seconds. Freshman Heather Bergbower made an immediate impact with a 10th-place finish in 20:50. The Eagles also received strong runs from sophomore Avery Geier (16th, 21:34), freshman Josie Vogt (30th, 23:28), and freshman Nora Street (31st, 23:30). Senior Shay Bennett (34th, 23:51) and senior Lily Yager (55th, 25:26) rounded out Newton’s varsity squad.
With five runners in the top 35, Newton’s depth proved key to locking down second place against more than 10 competing schools.
On the boys’ side, Newton finished 15th in the team standings with 340 points in a crowded field that saw Charleston (72) and Cumberland (84) take the top two spots.
Senior Hayden Borgic paced the Eagles, placing 33rd overall in 18:15. Fellow senior Johnnie Brant followed in 78th at 19:42, while sophomore Alec Bower crossed in 82nd at 19:53. Freshman Kendall Probst (93rd, 20:40) and freshman Jeremiah Hills (103rd, 21:18) rounded out Newton’s top five scorers.
The meet highlighted Newton’s promising mix of veteran leadership and young talent. The girls’ runner-up team finish shows the Eagles can compete with some of the best squads in the area, while the boys continue to build experience in one of the deepest races of the season.
