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South Tama XC Competes at Grinnell

STC sophomore Jayva Gomez finished with a time of 27:19 at the Grinnell Invite. PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT
STC junior Livia Smith (left) and sophomore Cahysia Kapayou compete side-by-side at the Grinnell Invite. PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT
STC senior Barrett Jesina sprints out ahead of the pack at the start of the Grinnell Invite.  Jesina finished in 4th place. PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT
Freshman Kyler Johnson runs at the Grinnell Invite for STC. PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT
STC freshman Max Shirmer (left) and sophomore Brady Jesina (right) run at the Grinnell Invite.  Jesina (34th) and Shirmer (35th) finished in back-to-back spots for the Trojans. PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT
STC freshman Riley Stubbs runs at the Grinnell Invite. PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT

The STC cross country team traveled to Grinnell on Tuesday, September 9, to compete in the annual Grinnell Invitational. On a beautiful evening for racing, the Trojans were led by a fourth place finish from senior Barrett Jesina in the varsity boys race.

Jesina, who had been battling a cold in the days before the meet, gutting through to finish with a time of 16:40. ‘Right away within the first half mile I started feeling it in my legs,’ said Jesina. ‘I was hoping it would go away but it just hung around.’ Despite not feeling his best, it was still a solid performance for Jesina, who was coming off a first-place finish at his previous meet at Williamsburg on September 2. ‘I always thought about winning a cross country race,’ Jesina reflected. ‘Actually doing it felt really good.’ In Williamsburg, Jesina finished in a time of 16:27, which was just off of his personal best time of 16:23. With his victory, Jesina also appreciated his place in program history. In 2022 and 2023, STC’s Tommy Tyynismaa and James Brant finished first and second in the same Williamsburg meet. ‘To look back and remember the success we’ve had there–and to be up there in the same place as guys I’ve looked up to–it feels pretty special,’ Jesina said.

In other varsity boys action in Grinnell, Jesina was followed by his brother, sophomore Brady Jesina, who finished 34th with a time of 19:28. Finishing closely behind, freshman Max Shirmer came in 35th place with a time of 19:20. Other Trojan runners included freshman Riley Stubbs (56th, 21:47), freshman Kyler Johnson (23:53), and freshman Nolan Arp (61st, 25:22). As a tea, the Trojan boys finished in 8th place with 186 points. Host Grinnell won the meet with 33 points.

On the girls’ side, STC competed with three athletes. Sophomore Jayva Gomez led the way, finishing in 45th place (27:19). She was followed by junior Livia Smith (47th, 28:52) and sophomore Cahysia Kapayou (48th, 28:29). All three times represented season bests for the girls.

Up next for the Trojan cross country team is the annual STC Coed Invite–the lone home meet of the year. It will take place on Monday, September 15, at the South Tama high school campus. This will be followed by a trip to Newton for the Newton Invite on Tuesday, September 23.