September 19, 2024
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2024 BCR girls cross country preview: Princeton returns top 5 runners

Sophomores Ruby Acker, Payton Frueh headline strong group of returners for Tigresses

By Kevin Hieronymus
Princeton freshman Ruby Acker (192) runs in Saturday's Gary Coates Invitational at Zearing Park. She placed 12th.

Ruby Acker (right) returns for her sophomore season at Princeton. She was the 2023 co-BCR Runner of the Year along with teammate and returning sophomore Payton Frueh. (Kevin Hieronymus)

Princeton

Coach: Pat Hodge

Top returning runners: Ruby Acker, so.; Ella Grey, sr.; Payton Frueh, so.; Alexandra Waca, so.; Avery Waca, jr.

Newcomers: Angela Frost, jr.; Rebekah Lord, so.; Natalie Meyer, so.

Worthy of note: The Tigresses return their top five runners from last year, headed by sophomores Acker and Frueh, who were the 2023 co-BCR Runners of the Year. Acker led PHS in the Gary Coates Invitational (12th place) and in the Three Rivers Conference Meet (sixth). She was 16th in the Seneca Regional and 56th in the Oregon Sectional. Frueh came on strong in the postseason, leading the Tigresses in the Seneca Regional (11th) and the Oregon Sectional (36th). The Waca sisters also had solid seasons in earning All-BCR first-team honors. PHS has new additions in Frost, Lord and Meyer, who are all out for the first time. PHS will open the season Tuesday at the Ottawa Quad and host the Gary Coates invitational on Saturday, Sept. 7.

Bureau Valley

Coach: Bob Benck

Returning runner: Leah House, so.

Key newcomer: Gemma Moore, so.

Worthy of note: House, who was the lone runner for the Storm last year, will have company this fall with five teammates to give the Bureau Valley a full team. House earned All-BCR first-team honors. She placed 35th (26:04.47) in the Three Rivers Meet and 48th in the Bureau Valley Regional with a time of 25:41.20. Moore had a strong freshman track season and looks to carry that success over to cross country for the first time. Other newcomers this season will be sophomore Mya Nugent and freshmen Summer Hamilton, Autumn Roth and Ella Wilt.

Bureau Valley's Leah House (left) and Hall's Jade Wangelin run in Saturday's Gary Coates Invitational.

Leah House (left) returns for her sophomore season at Bureau Valley. (Kevin Hieronymus)

Amboy co-op

Coach: Michael Robinson

Top returners: Anna Carlson, jr.; Samantha Nauman, jr.; Addison Pertell, sr.; Natalie Pratt, sr.; Aubrey Wells, so.

Note worthy: The Clippers return five runners from last year’s sectional qualifier, led by Wells (97th), Nauman (110th), Carlson (125th) and Pertell (126th). Wells, junior Grace Althaus and Maddie Althaus also will be playing volleyball and run part time.

NOTE: Neither Hall or St. Bede have runners out this fall.

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