Goodell wins 2nd meet of season for boys; girls take 6th of 7 teams

For the second time this season, Albert Lea’s Jackson Goodell ran past the competition.

Jackson Goodell, a senior who verbally committed to South Dakota State University on Oct. 3, took first place with 10 seconds to spare to lead the Tigers boys’ team to a runner-up finish out of seven teams with a score of 61, and the Albert Lea girls’ squad took sixth place out of seven teams with a score of 162 Tuesday at the Austin Packer Invitational at Meadow Greens Golf Course in Austin.

Winona edged Albert Lea by 13 points to win the boys’ division and also won the girls’ division.

Tigers coach Jim Haney said he used the meet to determine the top seven runners who will compete in the team’s next outing: the Big Nine Conference meet at 4 p.m. Oct. 20 at Brooktree Golf Course in Owatonna.

“I was impressed by the way our runners accepted the challenge of going out and competing, putting pressure on other runners and working through the good and bad that can come up in a race,” he said. “We are running our best at the right time of the season, and we are ready to take the next step in our running goals.”

The Albert Lea boys’ team was led by the Goodell brothers. Jackson Goodell won the race with a time of 16:14.4.

“He is gaining confidence, and I look forward to seeing the race he will put together next week at the Big Nine,” Haney said. “He is running very well and is ready to be a factor in that race.”

Carson Goodell, a freshman, completed the course in 16:52.2 to take fifth place.

Jay Skaar, Nikk Christianson and Leo Olveda also finished in the top 20 of the 112-runner field. Skaar took 17th place in 17:38.5; Christianson, 18th in 17:45.6; and Olveda, 20th in 17:51.3.

“I wanted the boys to pack up and push each other to get five runners in the top 15, and we were very close to reaching that goal,” Haney said. “It was an excellent effort.”

All five Albert Lea runners who scored on the girls’ team finished in the top half of the 85-runner field.

Grace Chalmers led the Tigers in 18th place with a time of 21:44.9. Fran Eckstrom followed in 29th place in 22:34.0; Hannah Savelkoul, 37th in 23:26.4; Alexis Tasker, 38th in 23:44.6; and Morgan Phillips, 40th in 25:16.1.

“Every week the girls have shown steady improvement, and the coaching staff is proud of the improvement they have made during the season,” Haney said.

After Albert Lea runs at the Big Nine Conference meet, the team will compete at the Section 1AA meet at 3 p.m. at Brooktree Golf Course in Owatonna.