On Wednesday, Sept. 16, the Spartans traveled to Freeman for the Flyer Invitational Cross-Country Meet. The SDHSAA realigned cross country regions this year, placing Wessington Springs in Region 3, with the region meet to be held in Freeman.
Senior Alexis Roesler, coming off lower leg issues, competed in her first varsity race of the season alongside senior Ella Kolousek. Roesler completed the 5K course in 25:08.39 for 59th place, while Kolousek finished in 26:28.76 for 69th. A total of 76 runners finished the race.
In the boys varsity race, eighth grader Ethan Heumiller joined sophomore Carson Clements. Clements turned in a strong performance against some of the top Class B runners in the region and state. After dealing with a lower leg injury last year, he continues to come back strong, applying both his speed and endurance. Clements finished ninth in 17:39.30.
Heumiller competed in his first varsity race of his eighth-grade season, finishing the 5K in 21:27.66 for 66th place among 77 finishers.
Eighth grader Lorin Schaller also competed for the first time this season after dealing with heel issues and a schedule conflict with the Youth HuntSAFE program. Schaller finished the 3,000-meter race in 13:55.69 for 16th place, with Houston Havlik close behind in 14:09.26 for 18th.
On Saturday, the Spartans traveled through the foggy mist to Huron for the Clyde Cotton Invitational at Broadland Creek Golf Course, hosted by the Huron Tigers.
In the girls varsity race, Kolousek navigated the muddy course in 28:04.18 to finish 73rd. Clements again turned in a strong performance in the boys varsity race, placing 29th among 112 finishers with a time of 17:44.22, just outside the individual medals.
In the boys JV division, Heumiller completed the 5K course in 22:21.40 for 60th place in a field of about 100 runners.
Schaller and Havlik closed out the day in the junior high boys race, running the 2,900-meter course close together. Schaller finished 53rd in 13:15.13, while Havlik followed in 57th at 13:26.05. A total of 83 runners finished the race.
At press deadline Tuesday, the 281 Conference meet at the Wessington Springs golf course had been postponed due to wet conditions and additional precipitation in the forecast.