The Barton Community College men’s and women’s cross-country teams opened up its 2013 season on Friday at the Colby Community College Invitational.
The Cougars finished in fourth place on the 5k course, featuring 35 athletes, and the Lady Cougars did not compete as a team.
Great Bend High School graduate Chon Chavez led the Cougars, finishing in 15th place in a time of 16 minutes, 47 seconds in his first meet as a freshman. Sophomore Tyler Lumpkin crossed the finish line at 17:17 to seize 22nd place.
Freshmen trio Zach Wilson (19:52), Genesis Rose (10:15), another Great Bend product, and Brady Holler (21:16) finished 31st, 32nd and 33rd, respectively.
Leading the Barton women’s entries with a 19th-place finish was Tabitha Kim, completing the 4k course in 20:06. Jenna Schroeder finished a minute behind at 21:07 in 23rd place, with teammate Kaycee Niermeier capturing 24th place with a time of 21:21.
Barton will next compete at the Blue Dragon Invitational at Westar Prairie Ridge Course in Hutchinson on Saturday. The women start at 10 a.m. with the men following.