The International Falls boys and girls varsity cross country teams opened the 2011 season by both finishing third Thursday at the Babbitt Lions Club Gene Ritsche Memorial Cross Country Meet.
Grand Rapids and Hermantown both placed first and second, respectively, in both the boys and girls competition.
In the girls 4,000-meter varsity race, Falls had two runners in the top 10 with Sydney Raboin sixth in 16:21 and Amber Harms ninth in 16:45.
“The girls all ran really well (Thursday), even through the heat and the rain,” Harms said. “We had a lot of girls that came in together, and that really helps our score.”
In the boys 5,000-meter varsity race, Falls’ best finish came from Marco Griffith, who placed 16th in 19:06.
“The guys had a good meet with everyone pushing each other and starting to get the feel for how to be successful...,” Griffith said.
In the 4,000-meter run for sophomore boys, the Broncos’ Wyatt Ulrich placed first in 12:51.
Another first-place showing for the Falls came in the 1,600-meter run for seventh- and eight-grade girls when Lexi Erickson finished in 6:35.
