ST. ALBANS — The Middlebury Union Middle School cross country teams enjoyed outstanding days at the middle school championship meet on Oct. 27 at the Hard’ack Recreation Area in St. Albans, with the girls’ team finishing first among 28 scoring teams, while the MUMS boys were seventh. In all, 600 athletes from 44 schools competed.

MUMS Coach Karen Morris noted the performances were particularly impressive because both the girls’ and boys’ teams included only one 8th-grader, while most of their competitors’ teams were comprised of all or mostly 8th-graders.

Morris said the Tigers competed well this fall despite the team’s relative youth.

“The team has been running strong all season, but we have a very young group of kids with only four eighth-graders on a team of 34,” she said.

Awards were given out to top-15 finishers in each age group, as noted.

The five scorers for the first-place Tiger girls in the 3-kilometer (1.8 miles) race were Evelyn Fuller, who was third in the state among 7th-graders with a time of 12:15; Rosie Barry, sixth in the state in 7th grade in 12:52; Avery Thompson, 15th in 8th grade in 13:02; Kaisa Remsen, fifth among fifth- and sixth-graders in 13:12; and Sedsel Gillette, 13th for 7th grade in 13:41.

Also running on the MUMS girls’ varsity team and posting solid times were 6th-grader Charlotte Boire (14:32) and 7th-grader Autumn Spritzer (14:51).

The Tiger girls’ winning score was 90 points, followed in the top five by Stowe, 120; Essex, 123; U-32, 142; and Frederick H. Tuttle, 201.

Scoring for the boys’ team were Finn Ray, who was second in the state for 7th-grade boys with a time of 11:09; Erik Bruning, sixth for 7th-grade boys in 11:20; Myles Palmer, third for 5th- and 6th graders in 12:12; 7th-grader Leo DiLorenzo in 12:24; 7th-grader Welly Hescock in 13:12, 8th-grader Bryce Abare in 13:22, and 6th-grader Nolan Porteous in 13:32.

The MUMS boys scored 243 points in finishing seventh. The top three teams were Frederick H. Tuttle, 102; Essex, 118; and Montpelier, 141.

Morris noted many runners on the MUMS JV team also excelled.

“I am so proud of the entire team,” Morris said. “They have put in so much work this season and have been so fun to watch get stronger and learn how to work together on a race course.”