YANKTON, S.D. – The Farmington Tigers cross country teams made a strong showing at the Heartland Preview on Saturday, Sept. 13, at Yankton Trail Park. Competing against a deep field from across the Midwest, the Farmington boys' team earned an impressive second-place finish out of 29 teams, while the girls secured seventh in a competitive 20-team race.

RECAP

In the boys' 5,000-meter varsity race, Farmington totaled 130 team points to finish just behind Lincoln North Star (66 points) and ahead of Sioux Falls Washington (133 points). The Tigers' performance was anchored by sophomore Carter Lippold, who led the team with a personal-best time of 16:10.50 to place 10th overall. Juniors Patrick Carroll (16:42.90) and senior Adam Johnson (16:43.40) crossed the line nearly together in 18th and 19th, respectively, to solidify the Tigers' top three. Sophomore Derek Sullivan clocked a personal record of 17:01.20 for 34th place, and fellow sophomore Kieran Willenbring rounded out the scoring five in 53rd with a PR of 17:31.50. Additional varsity finishers included Evan Buss (86th, 17:59.00), Aidan Gillespie (91st, 18:04.60), and Wesley Toensing (131st, 18:45.80), contributing valuable depth.

On the girls' side, Farmington totaled 223 team points to place seventh overall. Junior Lauren Lansing paced the Tigers with a 12th-place finish in 19:00.30. Eighth-grader Shelby Carroll followed in 31st place with a time of 20:27.00, while another eighth-grader, Mia Tooley, finished 61st in 21:18.50. Freshman Mara Brock (64th, 21:21.80) and junior Lillian Reuss (88th, 22:07.40) completed the Tigers' scoring pack. Rounding out Farmington's varsity roster were eighth-graders Kelly Carroll (132nd, 23:29.50) and Charlotte Spolarich (137th, 23:39.90).

TOP TIGERS
Boys: Carter Lippold – 16:10.50 (10th, PR); Patrick Carroll – 16:42.90 (18th); Adam Johnson – 16:43.40 (19th); Derek Sullivan – 17:01.20 (34th, PR); Kieran Willenbring – 17:31.50 (53rd, PR)

Girls: Lauren Lansing – 19:00.30 (12th); Shelby Carroll – 20:27.00 (31st); Mia Tooley – 21:18.50 (61st); Mara Brock – 21:21.80 (64th); Lillian Reuss – 22:07.40 (88th)

UP NEXT
The Tigers return to competition at the Griak Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 20, hosted by the University of Minnesota at Les Bolstad Golf Course in Minneapolis. The meet is one of the premier high school events in the region.

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