The Wrangell High School cross-country teams kicked off their season Saturday, Aug. 22, delivering strong individual performances at the Sitka Invitational held at Totem Park.

Sophomore Jenna Meissner set the pace for Wrangell by winning the girls race with a time of 21 minutes, 27.58 seconds. Senior Alana Harrison followed closely behind, crossing the finish line in third place at 21:40.95 after battling Petersburg’s Cadence Flint throughout the course.

Freshman Erika Jabusch earned a 10th-place finish in 23:15.90 during her high school debut, while freshman Natalie McGee placed 28th with a time of 26:04.73.

“Jenna was solid, strong and in the lead all race,” assistant coach Laura Davies said.

“Alana was not far behind her all race. She and Cadence from Petersburg ran close together the entire race. Alana looked very strong and confident throughout the race, and Jenna was in her sight the entire time,” Davies said.

“Erika had a very strong showing in her first ever high school race coming in at 10th, and Natalie did well too,” she said. “The girls have excellent work ethic, strong team dynamics, confidence and determination. It’s a dream team. We are very excited about the future meets. We are just getting started, but it looks like we could have a very successful season.”

On the boys side, junior Carter Howell paced the Wolves with a top-five performance, finishing fifth overall with a time of 18:10.37.

Wrangell showcased depth in the boys field as junior Lucas Stearns finished 12th in 18:52.66. Senior Jackson Carney placed 17th in 19:10.47, closely trailed by sophomore Ryder Ritchie in 19th at 19:13.13.

Senior Aadyn Gillen took 47th with a time of 21:27.46, followed by freshman Jayden Daugherty in 49th at 21:44.95 and freshman Michael Barnes in 66th at 24:34.28.

The Wrangell boys placed third in team scores, behind Ketchikan, which won the seven-school meet, and behind Sitka, but ahead of the Juneau-Douglas team.

The Juneau squad was the top girls team; Wrangell did not have enough runners to get a team score.

“The men’s team got a good gut check in Sitka. Many of our guys have worked hard all summer fishing and in the tourism industry, so the hard training is really just beginning,” coach Mason Villarma said Monday.

“Carter Howell had a nice personal best and will continue to get stronger and be a top scorer. Lucas Stearns probably had our best performance — he raced smart, set a personal best, and has been a leader for this team. Carney has been fishing most of the summer, but once he wraps up we know he’ll be the gritty athlete he always is and a top scorer.”