West Geauga opened the 2018 season with a second-place finish at the Hawken Cross Country Invitational on Saturday.
Sophomore John Patterson paced the squad with a second-place finish overall in 18:07. Sophomore Ken Kirk finished sixth in 18:53, senior Ben Mihacevich was 27th in 20:13 and junior Joey Tirabassi also medaled with a 30th place finish in 20:26.
“That was a great way to start the season with a second place finish,” said West Geauga coach John Boylan. “Finishing second at this meet indicates that we will and should be competitive this season.”
Shaker Heights won the invitational, which included 107 runners.
Freshman Lorenzo Link finished 37th in a time of 20:56 while senior Brandon Preda was 43rd (21:22) and freshman Aidan Murley-Schaffer was 46th (21:33).
“We are a very young team, led by two sophomores,” Boylan said. “There are three freshmen runners in the top eight and Ben Mihacevich and Brandon Preda are seniors with experience. Joey Tirabassi is the only junior in the top seven.”
