p BLUE EARTH -- Lyle/Austin Pacelli boys and girls cross country runners competed in the four-team Blue Earth Invitational on Tuesday to finish the regular season.
The host Blue Earth Area team finished first, Fairmont was second, St. James placed third and Lyle/Pacelli was incomplete. A different format was used to score this meet and it was based on a team's cumulative time rather than placed points.
Blue Earth finished with a time of 121 minutes, 18 seconds. Fairmont had a 125:21 and St. James with a 135:04.
The individual winner for the boys was Dan Murray of Blue Earth with a time of 16:13. Josh Gunderson led the L/P runners with a fourth-place finish at 16:57, which was a personal record. Danny Rysavy of L/P was 10th with a time of 19:12.
Jimmy McDermott of L/P competed in the junior varsity race and set a personal best time of 12:27, in the 3,200-meter event.
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"The conditions were excellent and our kids took advantage of this as their last tune up before the section meet," L/P coach Jim Parlin said.
"Josh set a new personal best for the third time in the last four meets," Parlin added. "He has looked very sharp in the last three weeks of the season. Jimmy also set a personal best time, so I am very pleased with how our kids have developed throughout this season."
In the girls' competition, Fairmont took first with a time of 115:12. Blue Earth was second at 116:40, St. James placed third at 124:46, and L/P was incomplete.
The individual winner for the girls was Jessica Lundgren of St. James with a time of 15:07.
L/P had all four runners in the junior varsity race. Emily Rysavy of L/P placed first with a time of 13:46, which was a personal record for 3,200 meters. Lindsey Jacobsen was 11th with a personal record of 14:47, Jena Helmbrecht placed 26th at 15:42, and Ashley Hanson was 31st with a personal best time of 18:29.
"Emily (Rysavy) ran a very smart race and came from fifth place at the halfway mark to a first-place finish and a new personal record," Parlin said. "Both Lindsey and Ashley also ran personal best times, so it was a good day. Our girls are very young, but are developing as runners to count on in the future."
Lyle/Pacelli will compete in the Class A, Section One Meet at Eastwood Golf Course in Rochester a week from Thursday.
