Springfield, MO. — (Story courtesy of Dana Harding, Ozark Sports Zone) Tuesday's Irish Invitational cross country meet featured temperatures in the low 70s, with just enough of a breeze to make for a pleasant outing for spectators.

138 runners from 18 schools took on a wide-open course set atop the Springfield Underground complex.

In the boys race, Springfield Catholic's Jack DelVecchio displayed a patient strategy and strong finishing kick to take the victory in 17:00.58 and become the first Irish runner to win the event since Stephen Kielhofner in 2017.

"Starting with the gun, I just wanted to hold a steady pace the whole time," DelVecchio said. "I didn't want to start off too strong and then die out, so I just held a steady pace, and then it all kind of panned out how I wanted it to."

DelVecchio and Mt. Vernon's Tristan Gaddis trailed Neosho's Kaden Cole throughout the first half of the course.

On the long, quarter-mile straightaway leading into the second loop, the Catholic senior surged into the lead and began putting distance between his competitors.

"Right after I finished the first lap, I was kind of drafting going into the wind," DelVecchio said. "And then, I just figured that it was time to make the move, because I heard some people coming up behind me. I just wanted to gain some space at that moment and try to gain a substantial lead that would be hard for people to catch."

Gaddis finished in second place with a time of 17:08.32, while Cole was third in 17:31.69.

College Heights Christian's Caleb Wicklund was the first small-school runner to cross the tape. The junior's time of 17:44.14 was also good enough for fourth place overall.

The team titles were won by Strafford and Bolivar.

Top 15 Boys
1. 17:00.58 – Jack DelVecchio, Springfield Catholic
2. 17:08.32 – Tristan Gaddis, Mt. Vernon
3. 17:31.69 – Kaden Cole, Neosho
4. 17:44.14 – Caleb Wicklund, College Heights Christian
5. 17:51.72 – Cale Thiessen, Bolivar
6. 17:52.15 – Blake Goodman, Bolivar
7. 17:52.51 – Hunter Davis, Bolivar
8. 17:52.97 – Tanner White, Bolivar
9. 17:53.27 – Peter Bowling, Bolivar
10. 17:53.58 – Ethan Billingslea, Bolivar
11. 17:53.81 – Will McCracken, Bolivar
12. 17:57.08 – Logan Carnes, Carl Junction
13. 18:09.46 – Cooper Hayes, Neosho
14. 18:12.58 – Dylan Higgins, Carl Junction
15. 18:26.42 – Anthony Mancuso, Springfield Catholic

Top Two Boys Teams Class 1-2
1. 15 – Strafford
2. 41 – Hermitage

Top Three Boys Teams Class 3-4
1. 30 – Bolivar
2. 72 – Neosho
3. 75 – Carl Junction

Top 15 Girls
1. 20:21.99 – Calli Beshore, Nevada
2. 20:30.98 – Rebecca Loya, Hillcrest
3. 20:45.98 – Alanza Montez, Carl Junction
4. 21:18.71 – Grace Bishop, College Heights Christian
5. 21:24.79 – Anna Burson, Springfield Catholic
6. 21:36.24 – Allie Rains, Nevada
7. 21:38.85 – Mayson Montez, Carl Junction
8. 22:07.02 – Avery Morris, Nevada
9. 22:09.50 – Hannah Franks, Carl Junction
10. 22:10.21 – Abbey Goebel, Carl Junction
11. 22:28.76 – Reagan Smith, Marshfield
12. 22:33.16 – Kaitlynn Franks, Carl Junction
13. 22:47.84 – Jayden Adams, Neosho
14. 22:55.51 – Riley Briggs, Carl Junction
15. 23:06.54 – Abigail Lampke, Bolivar

Top Girls Team Class 1-2
1. 15 – Strafford

Top Three Girls Teams Class 3-4
1. 32 – Carl Junction
2. 59 – Nevada
3. 70 – Bolivar