Tuesday evening, beneath the hot, hot sun, the Fairbanks Panthers hosted their annual Farmbanks XC Invite at the high school. The crowds came out in droves to enjoy the late summer/early autumn atmosphere, complete with a loose cow running wild down the front lawn, a pristine stage, decorated with all the accouterments of Autumn, and so much ice cold chocolate milk that everybody went home happy.
Due to the heat index, the 5K race was shortened to two miles, which made for the meet to run at a quick pace. Things opened up with the Youth Fun Run, a race that saw children as young as Pre-K age working hard and doing work. Around 30 youths participated and the top three finishers were rewarded with cow bells, while all participants received certificates and chocolate milk.
Next up was the girls Middle School race, where 7th grade phenom Audrey Lahmers owned the competition and won in a time of 13:01.
Following that performance, senior Rachael Hoover knew that she had one job to do, and that was to follow suit. Hoover and fellow senior Kayden Fields took to the line on this senior night and the gun sounded. In just 12:40, Hoover crossed the finish line, another first place finish for this remarkable athlete. “I felt comfortable out there, but the heat was real,” said Hoover, between chugs of cold chocolate milk. “I knew our girls team had a chance at a team trophy, and I knew what was expected of me this one last time at home.” Freshman Sadie Miller also cracked the top ten by finishing in 8th place, helping the Lady Panthers do what they had set out for, claiming the team championship over runners-up, London. “I’m pleased with our performance tonight,” said Coach Van Winkle as he gently stroked the neck of the young cow, Flannel, roped off for Cow Chip Bingo. “Even though we weren’t necessarily at full strength, our girls are always going to be in it to win it, and for us to bring home the trophy at home, it sort of felt like destiny. And just look at this cow. I mean, what a beauty!”
Full results for the HS Girls are below:
Rachael Hoover—1st place—12:40
Sadie Miller—8th place—14:16
Mara Vicari—12th place—14:47
Molly Thrush—21st place—15:42
Elizabeth Phillipo—25th place—16:11
Hannah Niehaus—28th place—16:23
Meredith Reinhard—29th place—16:28
Izzy Miller—43rd place—19:21
Kayden Fields—DNF
Next up were the boys, and the Middle Schoolers took to the line. The gun sounded and they were off. Eighth grader Wes Goellner led the way for the Panthers by taking second place in a time of 13:07. Zach Niehaus also ran well, finishing 7th in 14:42. With a few more strong performances, it was enough for the MS boys to take home the team trophy. “I’m pleased with how the boys ran,” said head coach Kathryn Rohrer. “I give a lot of the credit to the sugary chocolate milk that the kids were drinking, and honestly, I can’t believe that they finished the race without puking.” After the middle schoolers were finished sweating through their run, the high school boys were up. The judge raised the starter’s pistol, and POW! They were off. Once again, Zeke Gingerich was the top finisher for the boys, however, none of the Panther athletes were able to crack into the top ten. Gingerich finished with a time of 11:22, good enough for 13th place. He was followed by Bryce Nisly and newcomer Noah Thorley, who finished in 26th and 27th respectively. “I thought our boys probably could’ve done a little better today,” said Coach Van Winkle. “It being our home meet, we didn’t really represent that well out on the course and that is why we finished 6th as a team, behind Marion Harding, Mechanicsburg, Pleasant, Buckeye Valley, and London. We’ve got more in the tank and I’m just going to go ahead and chalk this one up to the extreme heat and the pressure of performing at home, in front of the rabid fans.” Full results for the HS Boys are below:
Zeke Gingerich—13th—11:22
Bryce Nisly—26th—12:23
Noah Thorley—27th—12:31
Elton Bailey—34th—13:06
JJ Miehls—37th—13:11
Daniel Thomas—43rd—13:38
Nicholas Johnson—51st—14:11
Brady Adams—68th—16:20
Leo Bosworth—70th—17:10
The Panthers are next in action on Saturday in Tiffin. The bus will leave Fairbanks at 5:50am!!! So be there on time, and get ready for a fairly lengthy bus ride.