The Brother Martin cross country team earned victory at the 18th annual Mobile Cross Country Challenge of Champions at Langan Park Saturday afternoon. Racing against tough regional competition from Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi, the Crusaders defeated 17 teams, edging runners-up Baker High School (AL), 110-116.
Nick Franco led the way for Brother Martin, covering the 5k course in 16:37.54, earning fifth place overall. Franco picked off roughly 10 competitors over the final 800 meters to finish inside the top five. Jared Allen was next for the Crusaders, finishing twelfth in 16:53.69.
Baker High School's Robert Soto and Ryan Archie provided a 1-2 punch overall and teammate Matthew Glenzer finished in sixteenth. Despite Baker's strong running up front, Brother Martin earned the victory by placing six runners across the finish line before Baker's fourth runner. Ben Dugas and Dylan Yates finished 26th and 30th respectively for Brother Martin. Following close behind were teammates Michael Saacks (42), Avery Provenzano (43), and Michael Cusanza (51), who rounded out the Crusader pack.
Connor Fagan of Metairie Park Country Day finished in 23rd overall, covering the course in 17:23.64. Adam Goldberg of Country Day finished in 36th at 17:42.65. Chris Hall of Holy Cross finished in 38th overall at 17:45.03. The Cajuns of Country Day(14) nipped Holy Cross (15) in the team standings, 322-324.
Two local competitors garnered Top 5 honors in the Girls' Invitational, a race that saw a blistering pace throughout. First Baptist's Gabrielle Jennings finished in second place overall with a time of 19:05.83. Country Day's Lane Porter finished fifth in 20:09.28. Mount Carmel Academy was the top local team in fifth place.
Brother Martin won the Boys' Open Division, outpacing 16 teams for the title. Cobe Kirkikis led the Crusaders with a fourth place finish overall. Patrick Hoppe (6), Lee Burnett (8), Quinn Condon (9), and Taylor Longwell (12) completed the scoring for Brother Martin.
Next week's slate of cross country races includes the Episcopal Round Table Run at Highland Park in Baton Rouge, the Mount Carmel Invitational in City Park, and the Newman Invitational in Audubon Park.