Niles Vikings strong at County Meet

Published 12:26 pm Monday, October 2, 2006

By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES – The Niles boys cross country team can keep the Berrien County Cross Country Meet trophy in the comfort of their own home.
For the second straight year, the Vikings pulled through and won the meet, ending with a score of 46. St. Joseph, which finished second, was out of reach as the Bears finished with 68 points. Berrien Springs rounded out the top three with a score of 119.
Top runners for Niles were Mark Calhoun, who finished second place with a time of 17:32. Dan Geiger was third with a time of 17:42 and Nick Schuck was fourth with a time of 17:46.
Eau Claire's Justin Blankenship was the overall boy's winner with a time of 17:26.
For Brandywine, Tyler Weedon placed 10th with a time of 17:56.
In the girls race, Niles finished third with a total of 79 points. Lakeshore had 27 points to earn the first place spot, while St. Joseph took second with 76 points.
Buchanan's Torrie Eger was the overall winner with a time of 19:54. The Bucks finished fourth with a score of 87.
Niles' Sam Brawley finished third with a time of 20:30. Autumn Grayson placed 10th with a time of 21:05 and Elizabeth VandenHeede was 13th with a time of 21:31.
For Brandywine, Ashley Harrell was 12th with a time of 21:28.
"Even though we took home the third place trophy, we had some set backs today," Niles girls coach Dan VandenHeede said. "Two of our top five girls had problems in the race, causing them to fall behind. Consequently, St. Joe beat us today, where we have beaten them the two previous meets. On the bright side, there doesn't appear to be any permanent injuries and many girls had personal bests today."
VandenHeede stated that Grayson ran in the 21:00's for the first time of her career, while in the JV race, Nellie Coquillard broke into the 23:00's and Chelsea Clark into the 26:00's.
Berrien County Cross Country Meet
Team results
Niles 46, St. Joseph 68, Berrien Springs 119, Lakeshore 126, Eau Claire 136, Watervliet 152, Buchanan 164, Bridgman 167, Lake Michigan Catholic 182, Coloma 249.
Top 10
1. Justin Blankenship (Eau Claire) 17:26; 2. Mark Calhoun (Niles) 17:32; 3. Dan Geiger (Niles) 17:42; 4. Nick Schuck (Niles) 17:46; 5. Jase Burnett (Watervliet) 17:46; 6. Derek Brusa (Lakeshore) 17:47; 7. Joel Haynes (Lakeshore) 17:48; 8. Adam Moyer (St. Joseph) 17:56.0; 9. Kyle Banish (Berrien Springs) 17:56.4; 10. Tyler Weedon (Brandywine) 17:56.7.
Girls
Team results
Lakeshore 27, St. Joseph 76, Niles 79, Buchanan 87, Lake Michigan Catholic 120, River Valley 163, Berrien Springs 176, Coloma 244, Bridgman 247, Benton Harbor 281.
Top 10
1. Torrie Eger (Buchanan) 19:54; 2. Amanda Balk (Lakeshore) 20:19; 3. Samantha Brawley (Niles) 20:30.0; 4. Haley Smith (Lakeshore) 20:30.3; 5. Jessica Schewe (Lakeshore) 20:38; 6. Devon Seaman (Lake Michigan Catholic) 20:51.0; 7. Kelsey Kuehl (Lakeshore) 20:51.4; 8. Julie Helm (St. Joseph) 20:53; 9. Mandy Thiele (Lakeshore) 21:05.2; 10. Autumn Grayson (Niles) 21:05.5.