Munster High School Cross Country competed at the Rudy Skorupa Invite this past Saturday, with both the boys and girls teams turning in strong performances. The Girls Cross Country team placed second with 66 points, finishing behind state-ranked Lake Central. Sophomore Lekha Patel led the Mustangs with a 4th-place finish in 19:10.9, followed by senior Beatrissa Pitcher, who placed 5th in a personal-best 19:32.4. Aubrey Earnshaw (14th, 20:31.8), Marianna Nyhan (20th, 20:47.5) and Sophia Puliaeva (24th, 21:02.3) rounded out the scoring. The strong performance moved Munster to No. 14 in the state rankings. The Boys Cross Country team finished fourth with 109 points. Robert Covarrubias led the Mustangs with a personal-best 17:02.7 to place 7th, while Keegan McGee (10th, 17:06.0) and Noah Cunningham (14th, 17:16.4) also finished in the top 14. Thomas Burns and Daniel Snyder completed the scoring, with Snyder recording a personal best. Richard Novak, Jaxson LaPorte and Tristan Estrada also posted personal-best times. The Mustangs' JV squads also turned in strong performances, highlighted by personal bests and solid finishes throughout both races. Amelia Franco led the girls JV team with a 19th-place finish, while Greyson Saczawa paced the boys JV team with a 17th-place finish in 19:37.9. With strong team finishes and numerous personal bests, both Mustang squads continue to build momentum as the season moves forward.