This story is sponsored by: Valley Communities Credit Union
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – Eighteen cross country teams will embark on the course at Wildwood Park on Tuesday at the annual Marshfield Invitational.
Marshfield and Columbus Catholic will be running for the second time at Wildwood in the last four days after taking part in the Columbus Invitational on Saturday.
Marshfield coach Dan Akin said the Tigers are still nursing some injuries, and will be without one of their top girls again in Sara Fuller. However, following strong runs from Rebecca Voss (fourth), Lisa Kaiser (20th) and Jennifer Kaiser (21st), on the girls side and five athletes running within a minute of each other on the boys side, Akin said he expects Marshfield to contend for both team titles.
“Without those Minnesota teams there (like at the Columbus Invite), the kids will be farther up than they think,” Akin said. “The hard part is coming back after just two days of rest, but we’ve only had one meet, so we’re not terribly tired.”
Akin said he expects both the Tigers boys and girls to fight with Wausau East for the team championships. Last year, the Marshfield boys beat East by one point for the title.
“The Wausau East girls are real good, with four really outstanding runners,” he said. “We have some outstanding runners, too, with the way Rebecca Voss and the Kaisers ran Saturday.”
A total of 500 high school runners and 300 middle school runners will participate in a total of six races Tuesday. The middle school race starts at 4 p.m., with the JV girls at 4:30 p.m., the varsity boys at 5 p.m., the JV boys at 5:30 p.m. and the varsity boys at 6 p.m.
Auburndale, Spencer, Loyal/Greenwood, Columbus, Portage, Granton, Flambeau, Sparta, Athens, Medford, Chippewa Falls, Wausau East, Pittsville and Marshfield are among the teams competing at the meet.