JV Jaguars Take Third, Varsity Places 12th at Walsh Pat Richie Invitational

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio - Saint Joseph Academy’s JV Jaguars used three top-20 finishes to place third among 13 teams, while the varsity team finished 12th in a competitive 22-team field Saturday at the Walsh Pat Richie Invitational. Avery Stives ’27 and Maddie Koons ’29 led the varsity pack. Inez Sommarriba ’30 led the field in the open race with a hot second place finish.

Clear skies and cooler conditions at Walsh Jesuit High School helped produce 19 season-best performances for the Jaguars. The temperature was 63 degrees at the start of the meet, giving the team a favorable setting to attack their previous marks and maintain a steady pace through the race.

Stives and Koons set the pace for Saint Joseph Academy in the varsity race against a deep field. Annie Collins ’30 continued moving closer to the sub-22 mark, finishing in 22:05. Their efforts helped The Jaguars navigate the tough competition.

The Jaguars’ pack running was especially effective in the open race. Sommarriba cut 2 minutes, 9 seconds from her time the previous week and recorded a season-best of 22:14 to finish second. Olivia Palleschi ’28 stayed close behind in fourth place and crossed in a season-best of 22:25, while Samantha Eynon ’29 was not far back in 19th.

The close spacing among Sommarriba, Palleschi and Eynon gave Saint Joseph Academy three runners in the top 20 and powered The Jaguars to third place overall. Their ability to race together and hold strong positions provided one of the team’s most significant performances of the meet.

The Jaguars will travel to the Massillon Jackson Heckspacular on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, where varisty will race at 9:30am followed by the open race at 10:30am.