Penguins run in Hobson

The Whitewater Penguin Cross Country team ran at the Tri-Cities Titans XC Invitational on Saturday, October 10, in Hobson.

The meet proved to present the team with an unforeseen obstacle, one that Whitewater Head Coach Carly Hammond declined to mention to her team.

"The girls were determined to PR," Coach Hammond said. "I declined to tell them that Hobson is over 1,000 ft higher than Whitewater which makes running a lot more challenging if you have not trained in those conditions."

Coach Hammond also said that the terrain of the course was very challenging. The course also included a giant hill in the middle of the run and also at the end.

The Penguins were fourth with a score of 30 points. Fergus and Belt/Centerville with a total of 15 points each. Park City was third with 25 points.

Whitewater had two runners that finished in the top ten. Sammie Wisher led the Penguins finishing the race eighth with a time of 25:35.6. Teammate Kendra Cummings was tenth with a time of 26:03.2.

"Sammie was trying hard for an 8-minute pace so that she can get down to a low 24," Coach Hammond said. "If it weren't for the tough conditions I know she would have been able to do it."

Though Coach Hammond said that she was proud of Wisher's effort, Wisher was not satisfied, and Coach Hammond knows that Wisher will push herself harder to achieve the goal of 8-minute mile times.

" Kendra has been staying right behind Sammie during all of her races and she was right there again in Hobson," Coach Hammond said.

The mark was still a best time for Kendra, who shaved one second off of her time of 26:04 set in Glasgow earlier this year.

Kelsee Cummings took 16th with a total of 28:27.2. Ava Hanley was 22st with a tine of 32:25.8 and Hannah Hanley was 23th with a time of 38:32.9.

" Ava and Hannah added some time this week but are confident that next week will be a different story," Coach Hammond said. "After the race, I told them how proud they should be to finish such a difficult course and that we will reach our goals, we just need to believe in ourselves and push ourselves every practice to get there."

The season is coming to an end and the Penguins' first year coach is proud of her first group.

"I could not have asked for a harder working, fun group of girls to work with," Coach Hammond said. "Each girl has had challenges to overcome to meet their goals and they are always up for that challenge heading into a new week of practice."

The team is scheduled to run in Sunburst on Saturday, October 15. The meet starts at 11:30 p.m.