The Rugby Panthers raced in the Blue and White Cross Country Invite hosted by Valley City High School on Saturday, September 20.

The Rugby Panthers boys cross country team took home ninth place overall out of 19 competing schools with a final score of 277. Panthers junior Brayden Green was the top runner for the boys’ team, taking home twelfth place individually with a final time of 17 minutes 28.1 seconds. Green earned his season record earlier this year at the Carrington Cardinal Cross Country Meet on September 2 with a time of 17 minutes even. He has yet to break 17 minutes this season after earning his personal record at the North Dakota Class B East Regional Cross Country Championship on October 12, 2024 with a time of 16 minutes 41.8 seconds. Green’s only other two times recording a time for the varsity 5,000 meters under 17 minutes were in his sophomore season in 2024. Junior Brayden Herman was second up for the Rugby boys cross country team, taking home 61st place with a time of 19 minutes 40 seconds. He also earned his season record earlier this year at the Carrington Cardinal Cross Country Meet when he took eleventh place individually with a time of 19 minutes 16 seconds.

Senior Hannah Senechal was once again the top runner for the Rugby Panthers girls cross country team. She took home ninth place individually at the Blue and White Cross Country Invite with a time of 20 minutes three seconds. The varsity 5,000 meter race on September 20 was the closest that Senechal has gotten to breaking the 20 minute mark for the second time this season since earning a time of 19 minutes 53 seconds at the Carrington Cardinal Cross Country Meet. Freshman Allie Monroe was the second fastest runner for the Lady Panthers during the invite on September 20. She earned herself a new season record with a time of 20 minutes 56 seconds and took home 26th place individually. Her previous season record was earned at the 9th Annual Devils Lake Grahams Island Invitational where she took seventh place individually with a time of 21 minutes 20.6 seconds. Senechal and Monroe helped the Lady Panthers take home sixth place overall out of the 15 competing girls cross country teams.