The Hopkins boys’ cross-country team just missed winning its own invitational by one point Saturday morning at Camp Jijak in Hopkins Township.
The Viking lads scored 55 team points, taking the runner-up slot behind Kalamazoo Hackett. Wayland came in sixth in the nine-team field with 147 points.
The Viking girls finished third with 74 points and Wayland was right behind them with 79. Seven girls’ teams competed.
Viking senior Jack Estelle was second and teammate Kash Moored third. Estelle completed the five-kilometer course in 16:43.85, more than a minute behind individual medalist Marek Butkiewicz of Kalamazoo Hackett. Moored cross the finish line in 16:54.94. Teammate Grady Johnston turned in a time of 18:04.86, good for eighth place, Gavin Schans was 14th in 19:11.61and Cole VerStrate rounded out the scoring in 36th place.
For Wayland, Mason Fein was fifth in 17:34.35, Ethan Manning sixth in 17:38.16, Carter Bultje 48th, Shane Krasinski 57th and Jackson Byers 63rd.
Sophomore Abree VanDenBrink led Wayland, taking third in 21:04.02, edging teammate Madison Bumhoffer by 53 seconds. Ryleigh Haveman was 20th, Sophia Miller 24th and Elyana Jurkowski 29th.
Freshman Izabella Jordan led Hopkins by finishing 11th in 22:08.51. She was followed Lillian Dewey in 13th, Allison Breining in 15th, Grace Schumacher 16th and Lachlan Merren 19th.
