Manhattan High Cross Country placed their girls and boys Varsity teams in first and second respectively at the Emporia Invitational meet, their second competition of the season, on Saturday. 
“The girls did really well,” head coach Susan Meglares said. “They didn’t get out real fast but they worked hard through the third mile to build up some points… The boys didn’t get out real well and had a hard time gaining that ground in the third mile, but we’re challenged to keep working, and put things together moving forward.”
MHS competed against Olathe East, Bishop Carroll, Derby, Emporia, Kapaun-Mt Carmel, Andover, Junction City, Spring Hill, Basehor-Linwood, Hutchinson, Andover Central and Anderson County at Jones Park. While the Varsity girls took first, the JV girls team swept the meet taking first through fifth place individually. The boys finished behind Olathe East. 
“[Emporia] is a little less challenging than Warner, less hills,” Melgares said. “They have a grinder of a hill in the two-mile range, but for the most part it’s a little bit less challenging than warner.”
In the girls competition, the placers were freshman Rebekah Pickerking in fifth, junior Amelia Knopp in eighth, sophomore Haley Henningson in 16th, senior Rachel Corn in 19th and senior Morgan Turner in 22nd. 
“I think it was very competitive,” Knopp said. “There were some teams there that beat us last year, so to come away with the win was huge and we know we can compete with some really good teams now.”
In the boys race senior Ben Mosier placed fourth, freshman Landon Knopp came in fifth, senior Max Bowyer in seventh, sophomore Ethan Bryant in 30th and junior Kolby Grogg in 32nd.
“We weren’t very happy with the result that came out of the race at all,” Bowyer said, “but we all have those tougher days, and Saturday was just one of those tougher days for us.”
Next Saturday, the team travels to Hays, a meet which they entered last minute due to school activities not being allowed to stay overnight meaning they couldn’t attend the Missouri Southern Stampede.
“Most of the seniors are bummed about not being able to go to Joplin,” Bowyer said. “But that’s life, things happen, we’ve gotten used to races being cancelled.”