Senior Moses Lurbur took second place for the Wenatchee High School varsity cross country team in the team’s first meet of the year, the Highlander Invite at Shadle Park High School, on Sept. 10.

Lurbur’s time of 13:10 was enough for him to finish in second place out of around 150 competitors, according to Susan Valdez, head coach.

When asked how she felt about Lurbur’s performance, Valdez had nothing to say but praise. “Really great effort on his part. It was fun to watch,” she said.

The boys side was formatted differently than most meets, which resulted in different races. Instead of being split up into varsity and junior varsity races, there was a race for each grade. Regardless, this format worked well for the team, as sophomores Kurt Zontek and Ezra Boyle, in addition to Lurbur, scored in the top 20 out of around 100-150 participants in their races.

For the girls, the meet was formatted typically, with one varsity and one JV race. Senior Aria Tornabene placed 55th in the varsity contest with a time of 17:40.

Valdez emphasized that the Highlander Invite was a great start to the season.

“They all rose to the occasion,” she said