By Cort Reynolds
BELLEFONTAINE - The Ada cross country team opened its season Tuesday at the 15-team Ben Logan Invitational.
Six Bulldogs ran in the meet, with three boys and three girls participating from Ada. A minimum of five runners is needed to register a team score.
Jonathan Alder won the girls team title, while Cedarville edged out JA to capture the boys crown.
Junior Riley Ferguson paced the Ada boys by finishing 77th in a field of 149 runners. He led the Bulldogs with a time of 23:41.
Sophomore Connor Daugherty came in 130th with a time of 27:40. Fellow soph Robby Waters ended up 133rd in 28:08.
For the Ada girls, all three freshmen runners finished up closely bunched. Elsie Allen came in 113th out of 127 runners with a time of 38:13. Malia Santillanez was right behind her in 114th at 38:14.
Jillian Hazelton finished 116th in 38:31.
"All my runners beat their pre-season 5K times except for one, who has had a twisted ankle," said veteran Ada head coach Josh Klein. "It was a very hot night, and I am super proud of them."
Ada runs next at the nine-team Waynesfield Invitational Tuesday, September 1. Then they compete at the 45-team Columbus Grove Invite Saturday morning, Sept. 5.
