Jaguars Place Second in Varsity and Open Races at HeckSpacular

MASSILLON, Ohio - Saint Joseph Academy placed second in both the varsity and open races at the Massillon Jackson HeckSpacular on Saturday, Sept. 19, as Maddie Koons ’29 and Avery Stives ’27 led a strong day of pack running at Jackson Middle School. The Jaguars scored 59 points in the varsity race, finishing only two points behind the winner, while the open squad totaled 38 points and missed first place by just seven.

Koons paced the varsity lineup with a time of 18:54, matching her lifetime best, and Stives followed closely in 18:57 setting a new personal best. Their performances strengthened both runners’ positions on Saint Joseph Academy’s all-time top-10 list. With only three seconds separating the Jaguars’ first two finishers, the front of the lineup set the tone for a varsity group that averaged 19:52 and placed four runners among the top 15.

The varsity race also produced five lifetime-best performances. In addition to Stives’ 18:57, Svlvia Langer ’29 finished in 20:25, Annie Collins ’30 ran 21:06, Grace Litten ’29 recorded 21:29 and Inez Somarriba '30 crossed in 21:34. Those performances helped the Jaguars stay within two points of the team title and demonstrated the depth developing behind Koons and Stives.

Saint Joseph Academy’s pack was just as effective in the open race with the scoring runners averaging a time of 22:30. Anna Heuberger ’28 led the Jaguars with a lifetime-best 21:09 and placed second overall. Bea Kratt ’30 finished fourth breaking the 22 minute mark for the first time, Samantha Eynon ’29 took eighth and Jezebel Kostecke ’27 placed ninth while running a season best time. The open squad put five runners in the top 15, allowing the Jaguars to compile a lower team score than the varsity group and remain in contention for the race victory.

The two runner-up finishes highlighted the Jaguars’ strongest pack running of the season. Across the meet, Saint Joseph Academy recorded 34 season-best times and 18 lifetime bests. Eight of those lifetime-best performances came from returning runners, giving the team another indication of its progress as the postseason approaches. The results came under clear skies with a temperature of 79 degrees.

The Jaguars will next race away at the Strongsville Invitational. Varisty will race at 9:00am followed by the JV/Open race at 10:00am. After placing nine runners in the top 15 across the varsity and open races at the Heckspacular, Saint Joseph Academy will carry improving times and a tightly grouped lineup into its next postseason tuneup.