MARYSVILLE — For the first time in Marysville history, the sixth annual Twilight Cross Country Invitational was hosted on Saturday, Sept. 29, by the Marysville Getchell Chargers, rather than the Marysville-Pilchuck Tomahawks, though both teams performed as “two parts of one community.”

The Twilight Invitational is so named because the competition takes place during the evening under the lights of the Cedarcrest Golf Course, with 65 visiting schools and more than 2,000 athletes from all over Washington competing in the 5,000 meter race.

Both Marysville Getchell and Marysville-Pilchuck varsity runners found success at the event. MGHS varsity boys placed 23rd in the event as a team and M-P varsity boys placed 29th as a team.

“The Twilight Cross Country Invitational is something that has been with me while I was coaching at M-P,” said MG head coach Randy Edens. “Last year we shared it, and this year is our first completely hosting it.”

Most of MG’s team already knew the course as it is a home base for them, but it was exciting for a team as young as the Chargers to have a successful invite to call their own.

“Every year it’s grown and we’ve got a pretty unique concept attached to a new school, so it gives our kids a sense of pride,” said Edens. “We saw really good times for our kids.”

MG’s Cameron Wagstaff took 82nd place with a time of 17:24.8 and Mitch Ryiter placed 110th with a time of 17:51.6. Thomas Lindgren’s 17:57.9 time took him to 117th place, while Roger Devora finished 143rd with a final time of 18:28.6. Garrett Westover’s 18:51.6 time took him to 161st place and Jake Shearer finished with a time of 19:11.6.

“Cameron Wagstaff ran our fastest time of 17.25 and Thomas Lindgren ran a 17.58. Those two were really impressive,” said Edens.

MG’s varsity girls runners placed 18th as team. Rachel Lefstad finished in sixth place with a time of 18:54.2 and Nicole Buell placed 108th with a time of 21:31.7.

“Rachel Lefstad finished in the 18-minute range, which is just a huge personal record for her,” said Edens.”It’s nice to see these kids not only have a good time, but compete well.”

Hannah Fink finished with a time of 21:39.2 bringing her to 114th place, while Lindsay Atterbury finished 117th with a time of 21:40.8. Shaleen Troxel’s 21:52.3 time placed her at 123rd, while Sam Gibson finished 136th with a 22:15.3 time.

For the Tomahawks varsity boys team, Chris Moen finished 88th with a time of 17:30.3, David Gloyd took 132nd place with a time of 18:16.8, Michael Dufour finished in 164th place with 18:52.6 as a final time. Josh Bevan finished 167th place with a time of 18:57.4 and Israel Lopez finished 191st with a final time of 19:44, while Nate Heckendorf’s final time of 20:30.9 placed him at 199th.

The two Marysville teams were not the only local presence at the event — Lakewood cross country also made an appearance and a strong one at that.

The Lakewood JV 9-10th grade boys ran to finish 12th overall with their team scores, while the JV 11-12th grade boys placed 15th overall with their team scores. Lakewood’s female runners made an impression, with freshman Lilly Whitehead placing ninth with an overall time of 21:56.5 and senior Emily Bainbridge placing 12th with a time of 22:25.7.