The Albert Lea cross country team competed in the St. Olaf cross country high school showcase Thursday afternoon.

As a team, the boys finished in 29th place overall and had many individuals turn in good times to start the year. Out of over 260 total runners, Albert Lea’s top five were Grant Herfindahl with a time of 18:15 (113th place); Travis Jensen, 18:27 (130th); Aaron Bauers, 19:45 (150th); Logan Barr, 19:51 (194th); and Caleb Miller, 20:40 (230th).

“I was proud of the effort the runners put into the race,” head coach Jim Haney said. “I was looking at how well they would attack the course. I was especially proud of my new runners and how they took to a cross country race. The team is very young this year and gained valuable experience in a difficult race at the state meet course.”

On the girls’ side, the team finished in 33rd place. The Tigers’ top five runners were Jaiden Venem, 23:10 (176th place); Alivia Adams, 25:16 (203rd); Karime Panciano, 25:24 (205th); Kat Uthke, 25:38 (210th); and Htoo Wah Shee, 32:12 (223rd).

“The experience we got today will only help when we have the biggest meets of the season in late October,” Haney said. “Many of the runners put in 200-300 miles over the summer, and I think it paid off. We will continue to get better with increased training and more experience.”

The Tigers will be back in action Sep. 7, when they travel to Faribault.