Six Baldwin County cross country teams gathered at the Orange Beach Sportsplex last week for the Orange Beach Invitational, where the Makos' boys raced to a team championship while Baldwin Count High's girls delivered a commanding win in their division.

Robertsdale junior Noah McDaniel posted the fastest time of the day in the boys 5,000-meter race, clocking at 17:55.68 to take first place. Orange Beach sophomore Aaron Tierce followed closely in second at 18:34.51, helping the Makos secure the overall team victory with 48 points and a tight 1-5 split of just 4:22.

Orange Beach placed five runners in the top 25, led by Tierce and junior Eli Haber, who finished sixth at 19:20.96. Eighth-grader Logan Black (10th, 21:04.21), seventh-grader Taylor Malone (12th, 21:34.64) and junior Christian Melendez (22nd, 22:56.73) rounded out the scoring for the Makos, averaging 20:42 per runner.

The Golden Bears (72 points) took second behind strong performances from McDaniel, Brayden Kyser (8th, 20:32.20) and Malachi Rich (11th, 21:16.52). Foley and Gulf Shores tied for third with 76 points each, while Daphne (99) and Elberta (100) rounded out the team standings.

In the girls 5K, the Tigers took home the top team honors behind consistent efforts from its top five runners. Senior Madison Bailey led the Tigers with an eighth-place finish at 26:59.97, while teammates Julie Rangel (13th, 29:41.09), Daisy Garcia (14th, 29:49.19), Katie Amalong (16th, 31:35.58) and Kylie Singleton (17th, 31:46.66) helped secure the team title with a score of 15 points and an average time of 29:58.

Robertsdale's Laila Cooper won the girls individual title in 21:43.55, finishing well ahead of Elberta's Caroline Soesbe (23:11.21) and Orange Beach seventh-grader Savannah Subert in third (24:45.06).