Warsaw hosted an invitational at their cross country course Saturday. 

Columbia City beat Warsaw for first place in the girls race 38-41.

Leading the way for the Tigers was junior Samantha Rastrelli, who placed 3rd with a time of 19:59. Junior Eden Metz followed with a 5th place finish, clocking in at 20:46. Senior Ella Laput secured 9th place with a time of 21:16, while senior Bryce Eherenman finished 11th in 21:40. Rounding out the scoring effort for Warsaw was senior Annabel Parker, who crossed the line in 13th place with a time of 21:54.

"The team showed determination and promise," Coach Jason Fleming said about the girls' season opener. "The first race of the year shows that we are poised to build on this solid start as they progress through the season."

The Eagles also won the boys race with Warsaw coming in 3rd.. 

Senior Mattias Niebbia led the team with a standout performance, finishing 9th with a time of 18:04.58. Close behind him was Senior Micah Zaugg in 13th place (18:15.93).  Completing the top seven for the Tigers was Junior Sam Allebach in 20th (18:54.45), Sophomore Owen Meerzo in 29th (19:22.93), Sophomores Jack Boggs (19:23.21) in 30th, Alex Hoover (19:30.48) in 32nd, and Nolan Stump (19:32.78) in 34th.

"What a debut for Mattias. His drive to improve is remarkable," Head Coach Matt Campbell said after the race. "As a freshman, he was our last finisher in every meet, with a time of 31:08 in his high school debut. Now, as a senior, he's competing for a top spot on this roster, having shaved over 13 minutes off his time."

Several Tigers set new personal records at the meet:

• Mattias Niebbia
• Samuel Allebach
• Owen Meerzo
• Jack Boggs
• Nolan Stump
• Keenan Lyons
• Samuel Klein
• Caleb Poorman
• Nicolas Kline
• Federico Presteguin
• Owen Aukeman
• Ben Harlan
• Moses Hackenberg
• Collin Long
• Caleb Josey

See the individual times for both races by clicking HERE.