The Wayland girls’ varsity cross country team finished 25^th among 43 teams and the boys were 31^st among 41 Friday afternoon in the annual Spartan Invitational at the Forest Akers Golf Course, Michigan State University.

Traverse City St. Francis won the Bronze Division competition with 141 team points, edging runner-up Benzie Central with three points. Whitehall was third and Dearborn Divine Child fourth.

The Lady Wildcats just missed one place higher by nine points and were comfortably lodged at No. 25 with 580, more than 100 points ahead of Bloomfield Hills Marian.

Senior Emily Gray turned in Wayland’s best performance at 21:39 over the five-kilometer course, her season’s best thus far. Junior Kaitlyn Paul was 114^th, freshman Rylee Cronkright 124^th, senior Emily Isenhoff 151^st and sophomore Payton Sidebotham finished 195^th. There were 291 female runners in the race.

Spring Lake won the boys’ competition with a score of 126 and Adrian was second with 148 and Big Rapids third. Wayland accumulated 806.

Senior Captain Jonathan Zuiderveen placed 74^th in 18:20 to pace the Wildcats. He was followed by freshman Mitchell Hooker, who ran a personal best 18:29 to take 87^th, Ethan Phillips 193^rd, freshman Garret Kloska 222^nd and sophomore Jarod Geerligs 248^th. The Wildcat boys sport a very young team, with only one senior among its top five.

Coach Raymond Antel III said, “The team continues to work hard and is currently laying the groundwork for future successes.”

PHOTO: The Wildcat boys’ cross country team with coach Raymond Antel III front row, far left).