CUYAHOG FALLS — The course for the Pat Ritchie Invitational on Sept. 7 featured a variety of terrain for runners to traverse. There were soft patches along with firm areas on the course. Along with the hilly layout, it offered runners another challenge of how to attack the course. Several elected for the outside of the turns rather than the softer inside. That strategy led to a variety times, and personal records were hard to come by. But that didn’t stop Chagrin Falls freshman Gabby Byrne in the girls Division II/Division III race. She made up time in the second loop and crossed the line in sixth place with a PR of 19:36.71. Byrne said the conditions didn’t phase her. The slower pace in the muddy woods section allowed her to gain places. “There were a lot of repetitive up-hill downhill portions,” Byrne said. “I tried to get my surge on an uphill to pass the girls on those parts. The downhills I let loose to get those gaps.” The result continued a strong start to her high school career with three straight top-10 finishes. Byrne knows that’s important with the Spartan Invitational next week, which serves as a preview for the regional meet. “These times are all about motivation for me,” Byrne said. “I’m really excited for Boardman. I think I can post a really good time there with my style of running, which helps set myself up for regionals.” In the girls Division I race, Mayfield’s Makena Bremec finished 16th with a 21:01.14. In the boys Division II/Division III race, a tight chase pack followed the three leaders who broke away. West Geauga’s Jacob Williams was among the pack. The Wolverines runner finished 16th with a 17:21.90. He said this wasn’t a meet where he was concerned with time. His focus was on the runners and teams around him. He knows that he’ll be going against runners from Marlington, CVCA, Salem and South Range in bigger meets later in the season, so he wanted to focus on how they managed a race in a smaller field. “My coach always says to play a game when you’re in a race,” Williams said. “Try to pick off people and see how many you can get. That’s what I was doing, finding people, picking off who I could. I tried to stick with the people I knew I could while watching the upper tiers as well. Watching them really puts into perspective on how I need to be racing” Also in the chase pack was Geneva’s Donald Shymske, who finished 20th to earn medal honors with a 17:33.21. Shymske, unlike the other runners, was coming off of a long trip Friday as the Eagles played New Middletown Sprnigfield in a 21-14 victory. He knew pacing himself would be important and not to push with the leaders, but rather maintain his place with the pack. “It was an hour and a half bus ride back so I had about four hours of sleep before the race,” Shymske said. “It helps not doing too much running during the week, which allows me to have those fresh legs when it comes to meet days. I saw the kids around me and when they surged in the second mile. I’ll need to keep with them going forward.” Mayfield’s Tim Zagar also had a strong performance in the boys D-I race, finishing 17th with a 17:26.00. Related Articles Area cross country runners top times for Sept. 5 News-Herald players of the week for Sept. 5 High school cross country: Runners push through challenging conditions, course at Cardinal Classic PHOTOS: Mentor Cardinal Classic cross country, Aug. 31, 2024 Area cross country runners top times for Aug. 29