CROSS COUNTRY: Grand Forks Central sweeps
Greg DeVillers - 10/05/2013
Camron Roehl has been a dominant runner in Eastern Dakota Conference boys cross country this season. Now if only the Grand Forks Central High School standout could beat his younger sisters. Central swept team and individual titles Saturday at the Grand Forks Invitational meet. With Karly Ackley winning in a time of 15 minutes, 33 seconds to lead the way, Central scored 32 points to runner-up West Fargo’s 48 in the girls division. Roehl ran a 16:25 to win the boys division, with Central getting 43 points to beat runner-up West Fargo by 19 points. For the Roehl family, cross country has become a family affair. In addition to Camron winning the boys title, sisters Alexis (third) and Grace (fifth) Roehl were top-five finishers in the girls division. But when the family races against each other, Camron is at a disadvantage against his younger sisters. The starting lines are staggered, with Camron having farther to run than his siblings. “I get mad because, the way our dad sets it up, I can never beat them,’’ the senior said. “Dad puts them way ahead of me at the start. It’s competitive.’’ Camron Roehl’s title Saturday was his fifth in seven meets this season. He beat runner-up Seb Startz of Fargo Shanley-Oak Grove-Park Christian by 21 seconds. Roehl placed ninth at the state A meet last fall. “We felt Camron would be one of the top runners in the state coming into the season, and he’s shown us that he is,’’ Central coach Sean Allan said. The Roehl siblings’ family affair is a first for Allan. “I’ve never had three siblings on the same team,’’ said Allan, in his 20th season as coach of the Central boys and girls teams. “They’re a very athletic family. And the biggest thing is how hard they work. Grace put in 500 miles of running over the summer, Camron had over 600 and Alexis had over 200. It’s a great work-ethic family. You’re going to have success when you work hard like they have.’’ And the siblings provide a support group for themselves. “If we see that one of us isn’t taking care of themselves, or not stretching properly before running, we’ll let each other know,’’ Camron said. “You want to see your siblings do the best they can. We all want to do well.’’ His sisters don’t have any wins between them, although Grace has been a consistent top-12 finisher. But they’re in a division where Ackley has dominated. Saturday was the freshman’s fifth title in seven races. Ackley won in 15:33, 11 seconds ahead of runner-up Jennifer Dufner of West Fargo. “We wanted Karly to take charge early in the race,’’ Allan said. “She did that from the beginning. We’re real happy with that.’’
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