The Starr’s Mill cross country team recently competed in the Providence Invitational in McAlpine Park, North Carolina. The boys and girls both finished third overall in their respective championship races.

“The boys and girls finished third at the meet, which we were really happy with,” head coach Kelly Rock said. “The JV boys finished fifth and we were also really happy with that.”

For the boys, senior Nick Nyman finished second in the 5000 meter run with a time of 15:52. Seniors Harrison Fultz and Ty Duben finished 24th and 25th, respectively. JV boys also performed well, as eighth grader Evan McConnell finished fifth with a time of 18:12. Sophomores Kolby Smith and Colton Olvey weren’t far behind, finishing 22nd and 25th with times of 18:52 and 18:57, respectively.

Sophomore Darby Olive finished 13th overall for the girls with a time of 19:45, and sophomore Allie Walker finished 22nd with a time of 20:25. Two seconds and one position behind her was junior Megan Dobso.

Sophomore Sophia Bauer was the top finisher for the girls’ JV team, finishing in 46th place. Freshman Elizabeth Miller was close behind, finishing in 52nd. Bauer recorded a time of 25:22, and Miller finished in 25:36.

“It was a really competitive meet,” Rock said. “There were several state champions there and it was a pretty big field.”

The Panthers host the AT&T Panther Invitational at Heritage this Saturday. The meet begins at 8 a.m.