The Otter Tail Central Bulldogs took to their home course at Balmoral Golf Course last week, hosting a competitive field of teams for a great day of cross country racing.

The highlight of the day came from Drew Robinson, who ran a personal best of 17:21.4 in the boys varsity 5K. Robinson’s performance earned him the 9th-fastest time in OTC boys cross country history, putting his name among the program’s all-time best. He finished fourth overall in a strong field and continues to build momentum as the postseason approaches.

The boys varsity team finished fourth overall with 89 points, just one point behind United North Central for third. Jude Hagemeister added an 11th place finish in 19:01.2, followed by Oren Brackin in 23rd at 20:05.9. Fred Scott crossed the line in 32nd at 21:12.1, with Jack Robinson (22:09.5), Ethan Sonju (22:50.6), and Stone Spanswick (25:07.6) rounding out the varsity lineup.

On the girls’ side, the Bulldogs finished fourth overall with 90 points in a competitive team race. Claire Mansker led OTC with a 14th place finish in 21:51.5, followed closely by Brielle Malone in 16th at 22:04.0. Tegan Brandon placed 22nd in 22:57.1, Quinn Hagemeister finished 26th in 23:19.4, and Trinity Baker came in 29th at 23:37.5. Delia Tebrugge (24:12.0) and Mar Lopez (28:24.8) also represented the Bulldogs in the varsity race.

The junior high girls had an outstanding day, led by Bella Scholten, who won the 3,200-meter race in 13:18.5! Addie Habedank also competed, finishing 12th in 17:37.2. On the boys’ side, Eli Wedeking finished 13th in 14:29.7, while Isaiah Scholten placed 19th in 15:27.0 in a competitive junior high field.

In the boys junior varsity race, Carson Wicklund finished 13th in 25:10.9, followed by Nathan Sanmoogan in 16th at 34:27.2.

Hosting a home meet at Balmoral gave the Bulldogs an opportunity to compete in front of their home crowd and showcase the hard work they have put in throughout the season. Head coach Brady Speicher thanked Kaari Speer for allowing the Bulldogs to have a home meet.