Harriers tackle Flower City Park’s hills head-on during 10th annual Palmyra Invitational

PALMYRA, Mo. — Monroe City freshman Anna Russell is quick to point out what makes the Flower City Park cross country course — the site of Saturday’s 10th annual Palmyra Invitational — so challenging.

“Lots of hills,” Russell said.

It wasn’t just the number of hills that made it so tough, either.

“The gradual incline of the hills,” Clark County’s Mason McDaniel said.

They navigated those hills and inclines quite nicely with Russell winning the girls race in 22 minutes, 37.5 seconds and nearly half a minute ahead of Paris’ Mairyn Kinnaman. Meanwhile, McDaniel finished in 17:08.1 to win the boys race, nearly five seconds ahead of Paris’ Landen Chapman. Mark Twain’s Sam Northcutt finished third another minute back.

“I’m pretty happy,” McDaniel said of his performance. “It could definitely be better with another week of training.”

McDaniel made up about 10 seconds and passed Chapman on the final lap. Some encouragement from his dad Matthew McDaniel gave him some extra motivation to catch Chapman.

“My dad told me to keep running,” said McDaniel, who missed last week’s Keokuk (Iowa) Invitational due to injury rehabilitation. “Thanks to him. I had to stay strong-headed.” 

Russell and her teammates have been running with the same bulldoggedness.

She joined a Panthers squad that qualified for the Class 2 state championships last year and boasts two dozen athletes — 12 girls and 12 boys. In Saturday’s girls race, Monroe City runners occupied five of the top 11 spots. Bradi Keller finished fifth with Emily Spalding in sixth, Rylie Mulvaney ninth and Audri Youngblood 11th.

“We’re like a big family,” Russell said. “In the mornings, we all run together, and we support each other,” Russell said. “It makes it really fun.”

On the girls side, South Shelby and Palmyra each had two runners finish in the top 10. Samentha Koper finished third and Kylee Barton finished eighth for the Cardinals, while Audrey Reid placed fourth and Delaina Meyer rounded out the top 10 for Palmyra. Marion County’s Ella Dougherty finished seventh.

Monroe City took home the team title with Paris second, Palmyra third, and Clark County fourth.

In the boys race, four South Shelby runners finished in the top 10 with Noah Wilt leading the Cardinals in fourth. The Cardinals finished first as a team with Monroe City in second, Clark County third and Mark Twain fourth.