By DOUG DONNELLY

HUDSON – Keegan Masters won the Tri-County Conference Cross Country championship Tuesday, taking first place at the league championship meet.

Masters is the first boys TCC individual cross country champion from Whiteford since the sport became an official league sport in 2002.

Masters finished in 16:51.89, more than 30 seconds faster than the runner-up finisher from Erie Mason, which won the meet as a team. Masters has placed second each of the past two seasons.

“Last year he was first at both jamboree meets, then finished second at the championship,” Bobcat coach Jay Yockey said. “I think that added fuel to his fire to not see that happen again in both cross country and track.”

Whiteford’s second-fastest finisher was Brendon Masters, who placed 20th (19:49.09). Gaspare Pirrone placed 22nd (19:56.07) and Josh Hill came in 32nd with a time of 20:53.15.

Mason finished with 40 points as a team to take first place. Sand Creek was second with 69, Lenawee Christian third with 70, Morenci fourth with 75 and Whiteford fifth with 97 points.

Erie Mason also captured the girls team championship with 31 points. Whiteford was second with 41 and Sand Creek third with 50.

Lenawee Christian’s Izzy Brooks was league medalist with a time of 19:36.62. Britton Deerfield’s Audrey Appleman was second at 21:23.17.

Whiteford’s top finishers were Braelynn Chiotti (22:59.33), Annabelle Gapp (23:08) and Emily Rasor (23.19.96). They finished seventh, eighth and 10th respectively. Jillian Webb was 19th and Reagan Wing 22nd for the Bobcats.