Despite having 5 runners in the top 16 finishers, the Tiger boys cross country team finished 2nd in their own invitational Saturday. Columbia City won the event with a team score of 48, bettering Warsaw's 58. Freshman Eli Swinehart led the way for Warsaw, cracking the top five with a time of 17:53. The Tigers’ top seven was rounded out by junior Jaxon Lehman in 9th (18:00), junior Nolan Stump in 13th (18:22), junior Jack Boggs in 15th (18:30), freshman Spiros Christos in 16th (18:32), junior Owen Meerzo in 21st (18:52), and senior Trevor Vosberg in 23rd (18:56). Head coach Matthew Campbell was encouraged by the opener. “I feel really good about today—I thought it was a great start for the guys,” Campbell said. “If we plug Gackenheimer into the results, the outcome looks a little different. As of today, Jackson will make his debut next week. His track season didn’t end until late June, so we had him take some time off. We’re finishing up his base-building phase, and we want to be smart and strategic about not rushing him back. Making sure he’s healthy and ready is the priority. In the meantime, this gives our younger guys a chance to step up and gain valuable varsity experience.” Swinehart’s debut was a highlight for the Tigers. “Eli is going to be good,” Campbell noted. “It was great to see him run controlled. He came out of the woods in third with 2K to go and only faded slightly. It takes time to figure out the 5K distance, but he’s already showing he can handle it. To have him as our number one today as a freshman is really exciting.” The Tigers also received key contributions from fellow freshmen Christos and Luke Vander Bie, who both cracked the top 10 in their varsity debuts. “Since I’ve been here, Jackson Gackenheimer was the only freshman to finish in our top 10,” Campbell said. “To have three do it in our first meet is impressive.” Gackenheimer did not run Saturday. Campbell praised the junior class for its depth. “Lehman isn’t a heat runner, but he went out and set a personal best. Boggs is running really well right now—he’s training the right way, hitting big workouts, and being disciplined on recovery days. He looked great today. Meerzo continues to progress, and I was thrilled to see Vosberg up there. Trevor put in a heck of a summer and is on a mission to make the most of his senior year. Stump only has about 10 practices under his belt, so for him to be where he’s at right now is a really good sign. And Keenan Lyions is coming along nicely—he’s only a sophomore, but he’s showing us he’s ready to take another step forward.” Beyond the varsity seven, the Tigers showed promise throughout the roster. Campbell highlighted senior Alberto Ochoa, juniors Nic Kline, Moses Hackenberg, and Kevin Gough, along with sophomore Owen Aukeman, for setting personal records. “The work they’re putting in is going to pay off—not just this season, but in seasons to come. When you have that kind of effort from your entire roster on a warm and muggy morning, it tells me we’re moving in the right direction.” “That’s a great start,” Campbell concluded. “We’ve got a long way to go, but the energy and effort today showed what this group is capable of.” The following athletes set new personal records: Eli Swinehart Jaxon Lehman Jack Boggs Spiros Christos Keenan Lyions Luke Vander Bie Alberto Ochoa Clint Douglas Nic Kline Rushabh Gorhe Moses Hackbenberg Owen Aukeman Keaton Kuhn Johnathan Shoue Luis Neumann Hudson Roler Josh Maratin Kevin Gough See the full results in the attachment.