Palos South Middle School Boys Cross Country Tops SWIC Conference

Palos South Middle School's Boys' and Girls' Cross Country teams recently finished their seasons at the top of the Southwest Interscholastic Conference (SWIC) standings.

Palos South's boys' team came in first place in the conference with 7th grader Matt Budzak taking first place overall with a record-breaking course time of 10:50 for the 2-mile race.

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South's girls team placed second in the SWIC conference. Eighth grader Eva Hardaloupas was the Cardinal's top runner, placing 7th overall in the conference race.

In the conference open race, the girls' team took first place, and the boys' team placed second.

Coach Scott Adams noted that the SWIC Conference includes 12 schools with 83 runners who competed in the 2-mile race this year. He said that Matt Budzak's time of 10:50 is the best in recent history going back to 2004.

"I am very impressed with the team and their accomplishments this season," he said.

"They put forth a lot of hard work and outstanding effort in their pursuit of winning the conference championship."

Coach Katie Wollschlager recognized the South athletes for rising to meet the sport's physical challenges that require endurance and perseverance over the course of the season.

"Cross country is a tough sport," she said.

"Every single runner improved their times over the course of the season and should be proud of their accomplishments."