Downers Grove North junior Macy Ermitage ran a 17:22.5 to finish third in the girls varsity race at the 51st Harvey Braus Invitational. The meet was held Saturday, Sept. 12, at Lake Park's East campus in Roselle.
Ermitage's finish helped the Trojans place fifth as a team with 138 points. Seniors Gianna Modica (30th, 19:13.0), Evan Vlasic (31st, 19:14.2), Sophia Schlueter (34th, 19:21.4) and Mairead Courtney (40th, 19:30.5) rounded out DGN's scoring five.
Chicago Lane Tech won the girls varsity team title with 57 points. Glen Ellyn Glenbard West took second with 81, and Mt. Prospect Prospect placed third with 82. York junior Karlin Janowski won the individual race in 16:25.6, followed by St. Charles North junior Kara Glenn in 16:51.7.
The meet drew 40 teams and 1,233 runners across six races at Krupke Field, according to Lake Park's athletics department.
Boys tiebreaker steals the show
The boys varsity team title produced the meet's most dramatic finish. St. Charles North and Arlington Heights Hersey each scored 34 points. The sixth runner broke the tie.
St. Charles North posted a team average of 15:19.8 across its top five runners, with a 1:03.1 spread. Hersey ran a tighter pack with a 0:25.6 spread but a slightly slower 15:22.9 average, according to official results from PT Timing.
Senior Samuel Hill led the way for St. Charles North, winning the individual race in 14:41.2. Chicago Lane Tech senior Samuel Assefa placed second in 14:47.2, and Hersey senior Gabriel Gronski finished third in 15:08.7.
The Daily Herald reported on the tiebreaker finish Saturday. Lane Tech placed third in the boys team standings with 86 points, followed by Wheaton Warrenville South with 148.
Downers Grove North, Downers Grove South and Westmont did not appear in boys varsity or junior varsity team results; results for the meet's frosh/soph and open races were not available.
The Harvey Braus Invitational has been a DuPage County cross country fixture for more than five decades. DGN's girls return to competition with Ermitage leading a senior-heavy roster looking to build on the fifth-place showing.
