Jade Wickwire and Declan McCabe led their respective Blair High School cross-country teams Thursday during the Eastern Midlands Conference (EMC) meet at Pioneers Park in Lincoln.
Wickwire led the Bears' girls team, which earned sixth after the meet was moved from an afternoon start time to 10 a.m. due to forecasted high temperatures. She finished 16th in 20:52.1 across 5-kilometers, while her teammate, Kate Wulf, was 29th in 21:50.5.
BHS' Ryen Anderson added a 34th-place effort in 22:15.1, while Emma Himes was 37th, Ryleigh Schroeter took 41st and Stevie Avila earned 48th.
On the boys' side, McCabe led ninth-place Blair in 22nd. He finished the Lincoln course in 18:16.4, while Roland Barondeau finished in 18:28.33 for 30th.
Lane Christensen was 38th, too, clocking in at 18:56.08 ahead of teammates Michael Amandus, Kieran Flynn and Jake Baker in 50th, 52nd and 61st, respectively.
The Gretna boys, meanwhile, bested second-place Hastings for the EMC team title. The Elkhorn girls edged Norris, 21-26, too. The individual conference champions were Gretna East's Braden Lofquest (15:39.59) and Kendall Zavala (18:43.2) of Norris.
Coach Carson Norine's Bears next compete Thursday during the Class B District 2 meet at Walnut Grove Park in Omaha. Races begin at 11:30 a.m. with top finishers advancing onto the Oct. 25 NSAA State Championships in Kearney.
EASTERN MIDLANDS CONFERENCE XC MEET
Thursday at Pioneers Park, Lincoln
BOYS
Team standings: Gretna 38, Hastings 65, Elkhorn 69, Norris 74, Gretna East 76, Waverly 83, Elkhorn North 83, Bennington 107, Blair 140, Lincoln Standing Bear 180, Lincoln Northwest 213.
Individual medalist: Braden Lofquest, Gretna East, 15:39.59.
Blair results: 22, Declan McCabe, 18:16.4. 30, Roland Barondeau, 18:28.33. 38, Lane Christensen, 18:56.08. 50, Michael Amandus, 19:34.13. 52, Kieran Flynn, 19:39.25. 61, Jake Baker, 19:56.32.
GIRLS
Team standings: Elkhorn 21, Norris 26, Gretna 70, Bennington 75, Hastings 108, Blair 109, Elkhorn 112, Lincoln Standing Bear 126, Lincoln Northwest 169, Gretna East 178.
Individual medalist: Kendall Zavala, Norris, 18:43.2.
Blair results: 16, Jade Wickwire, 20:52.1. 29, Kate Wulf, 21:50.5. 34, Ryen Anderson, 22:15.1. 37, Emma Himes, 22:30. 41, Ryleigh Schroeter, 22:43.8. 48, Stevie Avila, 24:11.8.
