The women's XC team is coming off of a strong showing in their 2nd race of the year at West Ottawa on Saturday, where they placed 7th against strong competition. The top team in the RCA conference, region, and division two were all in the race for us to compete against in an early season matchup. The girls were led by Junior Emory Smith, who ran her 2nd-fastest time ever to place 21st. Sophomore Addy Nesbitt also earned a medal, finishing 25th in a season best as well. Abby Noorman was next, followed by fellow junior Kendall Nester to both place in the top 50. Kenzie Druce, Miriam Hess, Lylah Hasso, and Harper Stanton rounded out the rest of the crew that ran the early race. The second race of the day, at 9:30am, was led by freshman Mayli Fessenden. Her strong start and continued push during the race led to her earning the lone medal for the team in that race at 16th place. Running together in a close group after her were Kylynn Grala, Claire O'Brien, Lucy Hotz, Audra Fessenden, and Avery Woodard - all placing in the top 50 together. Senior Amaya Gomez was next, overcoming calf tightness to run a great race for her team. Megan Buttermore made her season debut, followed by Jordyn Kerrish, Shelly Zimmerman, and Cyan Minnich. The team will compete again this coming Friday afternoon at Riverside Park ahead of our first RCA jamboree the following week.