Extremely satisfying

• Ethan Genco

Wildcat senior captain Ethan Genco runs through the South Fork of the Kinnickinnic River on his way to a fifth place finish in the boys’ race at the River Falls Extreme Cross Country Meet Thursday on the campus of UW-River Falls. Bob Burrows photo

Talk about it

The Wildcat cross country teams sure know how to kick off a season.

In what has become one of the most popular event for teams across Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota, the Cats dominated the competition at the River Falls Extreme Meet Thursday with the girls taking first with a near-perfect score of 16 and the boys finishing second with 69.

The annual season-opening meet is held on the campus of UW-River Falls and features a course that includes about a 100-yard trek downstream in the South Fork of the Kinnickinnic River. This year, a total of 475 varsity and JV runners from 15 boys’ teams and 13 girls’ teams competed in the wet, muddy race on a picture-perfect afternoon.

The Wildcat girls took to the course like fish to water, taking five of the top six spots to finish with a total of 16 points. The lowest possible score is 15. Wausau West finished a distant second with 72.

Read more in the Sept. 2 print edition of the River Falls Journal.

Tags: cross country, sports, prep, wildcats