9-11-2025 1:13am

XC: Saline Girls Third in SEC Jamboree

Saline sophomore Savannah Staton finished seventh to lead the Hornets to a third-place finish in the first SEC Jamboree on Tuesday at Willow Metropark.

Saline XC Jambo 1 9-9-25 - thesalinepost

Staton ran the race in 18:42, her best time of the young season. Saline finished with 96 points. Pioneer one with 26 points. Skyline was second with 69 points. Natasza Dudek won in 17:14 - more than 35 seconds faster the the second-fastest runner.

Lilli Schlack was 17th in 19:50.1. Coach Derek Stern said she had a great kick which could come into play at the next jamboree.

Adelynn Turck was right behind her in 19th in 19:50.5.

Caroline Cotner was 26th in 20:41.3.

Sophie Roth was 31st in 20:56, to complete the scoring five.

Freshman Lauren Tomaszewski placed 33rd in 21:00.

Stern noted that the freshman class is making a significant contribution.

"Freshman Caroline Cotner and Lauren Tomaszewski continue to be solid contributors in that top 7. Tomaszewski PR'd today and is poised to go under 21:00 the next time she races," Stern said.

Mahalia Staton finished 39th in 21:31.9.

Jilliam Hayes was 42nd in 21:45.7.

Payton Aagesen was 58th in 22:46.2.

MIa Washington was 67th in 23:22.5.

Stern said the race went as expected.

"I was expecting the outcome saw this evening. We placed third behind two very good programs. Ann Arbor Pioneer is a perenially strong program and will likely be state champions this fall," Stern said. "Ann Arbor Skyline has been building a solid program over the last few years and they have assembled a strong squad in 2025."'

Stern expects to see improvement as the season goes.

"I thought we matched up well and did not get too excited at the start. Our finishes were strong, we just need to move those finishing places a little further forward in the race," he said. "I'm confident our team will be able to do that as we continue to get into end-of-season form."

Reserve Race

Saline placed fourth with 74 points. Pioneer came one point away from the perfect 15-point win. Skyline was second with 62 points and Dexter was third with 74.

Freshman Ruby Giddings was eighth in 22:31 to lead Saline. "She had a PR performance," Stern said.

Claire Oberski was 13th, Riley Provost was 14th, Hannah Gritzmaker was 17th and Michelle Jiang was 22nd to complete the Hornet scoring.

"Senior captain Claire Oberski continues to achieve success every time she runs this year. For the 4th time in as many races, she PR'd. That does not happen - especially for seniors!" Stern noted.