Sports : VS Middle School runners do well at home meet

The VSMS girls prepare for their race to begin.

Elly Gloede

Sarah Schminke

Coach Brandt and the MS girls await the starting gun.

Grace Horst led the VSMS runners.

Libbie Timmerman placed fifth.

Ian Verba and Brock Ortner.

Donny Sass, Mitchell Bos, Charley Cooling

Seth Patterson, Nathan Harrelson, Ryan Oye

Kody Vogt and Matthew Karr.

Matt Andreesen, Tyler Hekel, Isaac Vrba and Brock Ortner

Kort Johnson and Casey Funk and Nolan Haisman.

Wes Haefner, Kort Johnson, Casey Funk and Nolan Haisman

Cole Tharp won the MS boys race at Rodgers Park.

Four of the top six runners in the girls Middle School race, and six of the top 10 boys in Tuesday's cross country meet were from Vinton-Shellsburg Middle School.

Cole Tharp led the boys with a time of 5:10.

Tharp's time was 26 seconds faster than the second-place finisher. He has won two of the three races this year.

"His time on Tuesday was almost 20 seconds faster than anyone has run in the 10 years I've been coaching," said Coach Nathaniel Brandt.

Wes Haefner was fourth and Nolan Haisman, fifth. Casey Funk finished seventh; Carter Weeks, 9th; and Kort Johnson, 10th.

In the girls race, Grace Horst led VSMS girls with a time of 5:57, to come in second. Sarah Schminke was fourth, Libbie Timmerman fifth and Maddie Earhardt sixth.

While most Middle School meets do not record team scores, VSMS coach Brandt compiled team results for the home meet. The girls came in a close second while the boys were in first place, way ahead of the other teams.

See complete stats HERE