Garren gets eighth at Griffon Invite

Sheldon High School senior Madison Garren, a returning state medalist in Class 1 and the only runner representing her school this season, earned a top-10 finish in her 2021 cross country debut at the Missouri Western State University Griffon Invitational in St. Joseph on Saturday.

Garren overcame soggy and hilly course conditions to finish in eighth place with a time of 24 minutes, 18 seconds.

"This was a new, unfamiliar course for her to run, and it was also a chance for her to run a college course," stated SHS head coach Mike Galimberto, whose goal by season's end is to cut Garren's time down into the sub-22-minute range. "She continues to work on bringing times down, and I believe now that we have the first meet of the year behind us, I am hopeful that her goals will become reality. I am so proud of this young lady and her drive to succeed."

Garren will next run Friday in an event she has performed well at before: the Cottey College Invitational at Frank E. Peters Municipal Golf Course.

"She ran a 23:55 last year, and I expect that time to come down some," Galimberto stated. "She is familiar with the GC and she likes running there."