On a beautifully sunny afternoon at Palmyra-Eagle High School, the Whitewater Whippets cross country teams officially kicked off the 2026 season with a strong showing at their first meet of the year on Thursday.
The boys team raced first and had a terrific opening meet. A significant portion of the team improved upon the times they ran on this same course one year ago, with many athletes dropping well over a minute despite racing in warmer conditions.
Leading the charge for the Whippets was Tyler Carollo, who placed 14th overall and earned a medal. Tyler made a huge improvement from last year's race, cutting 63 seconds off his time. Making his high school Whippet debut as the team's second runner was Marcus Roe, who finished 44th overall in 21:15. Marcus Roselle wasn't far behind, placing 48th in 21:27, a 48-second improvement over his time from last year. Wyatt Esch placed 61st in 22:21, followed by Angel Kilar in 71st with a time of 23:21. Angel improved by 59 seconds from last year's race. Preston Miller finished 72nd in 23:39, while Jameson Rothwell placed 73rd in 23:43, setting a 24-second lifetime PR. Carson Miller rounded out the varsity seven with a 76th-place finish in 24:01, an impressive 1:44 improvement over his time from last year.
As a team, the boys varsity squad finished 7th with 202 points.
In the JV race, Hunter Runnoe made his racing debut and placed 33rd with a time of 27:43. Horatio Nelson finished 39th in 28:25, while Ian Agen placed 47th in 31:50.
The girls' team was led by Virginia Nelson, who earned a medal with an impressive 11th-place finish in 22:38. Melody Smith also earned a medal by finishing in the top 25. Melody placed 23rd in 24:18, cutting an impressive 75 seconds from the time she ran as a freshman on this same course one year ago. Ema Aranda continued the strong showing by finishing in the top 30 with a time of 25:24. Ema improved by an outstanding 80 seconds compared to last year's race. Madelyn Taylor placed 56th in 29:05, a 45-second improvement over her time from last year. Peyton Comfort finished 64th in 30:14, improving by three seconds from her previous time on the course. Rounding out the team in her first high school race was Lia Ramirez, who placed 74th with a time of 36:08.
The girls' varsity team finished 6th with 159 points.
The Whippets will look to carry the momentum from their season opener into their next competition, a new meet on the 2026 schedule. Whitewater will compete in the Cam-Rock Invite at Cam Rock Park #2 in Cambridge on Thursday, September 3rd.
With numerous returning athletes already showing significant improvement and several runners making their high school racing debuts, the Whippets have plenty to build on as the 2026 season gets underway.
FULL RESULTS: https://www.athletic.