The Albert Lea boys’ and girls’ cross country teams were in action at the Big Nine Conference meet in Owatonna Tuesday afternoon.

The boys finished in sixth place and the girls took home 12th place.

Carson Goodell led the boys’ team. He finished in seventh place with a time of 16:55. He was five seconds behind finishing in fourth place.

Leo Olveda had another strong race for the Tigers, as he finished in 18th place with a time of 17:26. JV Moreno finished with a time of 17:44, which was good enough for 34th place. Grant Herfindahl was right behind him in 36th place with a time of 17:47. Brandon Etherington came in 64th place with a time of 18:34 and Noah Weise finished with a time of 18:51 and in 70th place. Eighth-grader Aaron Bauers came in 73rd place with a time of 18:55.

Tigers coach Jim Haney was pleased with his team’s performance on such a big stage.

“We beat teams that had beaten us all year,” Haney said. “I told the runners that today is the day that they needed to be great, and they accepted the challenge and ran outstanding races.”

Once again, Autumn Muilenburg led the way on the girls’ side. She took home sixth place with a time of 19:24.

Following Muilenburg was Jaiden Venem, who came in 62nd place, with a time of 22:28 and Abbie Thompson came in 79th place with a time of 24:03. Allison Christenson and Lexi Tasker came in 80th and 81st place with times of 24:20 and 26:48, respectively.

“This was the first time all year that we were able to field a full girls team,” Haney said. “(Autumn) ran a great race. She ran with confidence and determination. I am excited to see how she does at the section meet.”

Goodell and Muilenburg took home Big Nine All-Conference honors, and Olveda and Moreno earned honorable mention.

The section meet is scheduled for Oct. 27.