Top Tiger runner at Shakopee and Waseca
The Tigers continued their season-long trend of running in a pack at Tuesday afternoon's Shakopee Invitational, but this time the strategy didn't produce the desired results. Farmington ranked 10th in the 11-team field.
Forest Lake had three runners among the top six to win the meet with a low point total of 59. St. Paul Central was well back in second with 91, followed by Northfield 96, New Prague 96, Shakopee 121, Richfield 148, Holy Family Catholic 164, Robbinsdale Cooper 179, Chanhassen 184, Farmington 218 and St. Francis 260.
Tiger junior Jordan Lugowksi broke from the Tiger pack to place 13th overall over the 5000-meter course with a finishing time of 17:58.5.
The rest of the Farmington runners hit the chute in a tight 24-second span. Sophomore Jake Rudeen took 46th in 18:46.1; sophomore Sean Dougherty 52nd in 18:59.6; senior Patrick Sunderman 53rd in 19:02.1; sophomore Dan Block 54th in 19:08.6; Tyler Lerbakken 56th in 19:08.6 and sophomore Tanner Grubb 58th in 19:10.1.
The Tigers now have a week to prepare for the 2011 Missota Conference Championships scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 18, at the New Prague Golf Course.
"The Shakopee meet didn't produce our best times," coach Lisa Lippold said, "but we are already looking ahead to conference next week."
Waseca Invitational
The lackluster showing at Shakopee came on the heels of a solid second place finish at the six-team Waseca Invitational run Friday, Oct, 7, at the Waseca Lakeside Golf Course.
Farmington placed all seven of its runners among the top 20 at Waseca with Lugowski and Block leading the way for the Tigers, placing sixth and seventh overall in respective times of 17:36 and 17:41.
The other five Tigers--Lerbakken, Grubb, Adam Wallenta, Sunderman and Rudeen--finished in places 14th through 18th in a span of just 17 seconds.
