Submitted Photo Rugby junior Brayden Green runs at a cross country meet earlier in the season. Green took home fourth place individually in the 31st Annual Rugby Booster Club Invitational at home at the Rugby Golf Club on Saturday, Oct. 4. Photo courtesy of Bill Jansen.

The Rugby Panthers’ girls cross country team took home first place in the 31st Annual Rugby Booster Club Invitational at home at the Rugby Golf Club on Saturday, Oct. 4.

The Lady Panthers took home first place overall out of the 24 teams competing with a total of 62 points.

Senior Hannah Senechal was once again the top runner for the Rugby girls’ cross country team, taking home second place overall. She earned a time of 19 minutes 46.15 seconds in the varsity 5,000 meter run, walking away with a new personal record in the event. Her previous personal record was earned at the 2024 North Dakota Cross Country State Meet at the end of her junior year.

The meet on Saturday, Oct. 4, was only her second time breaking a 20-minute 5,000 meter time this season, her first being at the Carrington Cardinal Cross Country Meet earlier this season on Sept. 2.

Freshman Allie Monroe also set a new personal record and took home third place with a time of 19:48.3.

The meet marked the first time that Monroe was able to complete the 5,000 meter race in under 20 minutes. Her previous record for the season was just the week before at the Border Battle Cross Country Meet with a time of 20:14.9.

Just one other runner for the Panthers girls’ cross country team breached the top ten, and the team’s efforts helped earn them the overall win in the varsity event.

The Panthers’ varsity boys’ cross country team also saw success in the invite, taking home second place overall as a team with a score of 140.

Junior Brayden Green once again topped the list for the Rugby Panthers’ boys cross country team, taking home fourth place individually with a time of 17:04.2.

Green still has been unable to break his season record of 17 minutes even from earlier in the season at the Carrington Cardinal Cross Country Meet.

The next Panther up in the varsity boys’ 5,000 meter run was freshman Zeke Puente who took home 26th place individually and earned a new personal record in the event with a time of 18:42.32.

Saturday’s meet marked the first time Putente broke 19 minutes for the 5,000 meter run.

The Panthers boys’ and girls’ cross country teams are scheduled to compete in the Class B West Region Cross Country Championships. The meet will be held in Beulah on Saturday, Oct. 11.