HIGHLAND | The 40th annual Highland Cross Country Invitational boys race was the Munster show, with five Mustangs finishing in the top 12.

Munster won the team prize Saturday, 45-93 over runner-up Perry Meridian.

"I'm really happy with our team score," Mustang Blake Williams said. "We all improved our times from last year."

Williams was Munster's top finisher. His 16:21 posting was good enough for fifth place, but not good enough for Williams.

"I'm fairly happy with my time," Williams said. "But I think I could have done better."

He said his goal was 16:10, and he thought he should have finished as high as second, behind Lafayette Jeff's Francisco "Tito" Medrano.

Medrano was returning from a pulled hip flexor and said he'd just started running again earlier this week.

"It feels great because I haven't run in so long. But I've got to get my legs back," Medrano said.

Perry Meridian took home the girls team trophy and Boone Grove freshman Jordan Chester took the individual crown with a time of 19:00.

Chester said she was nervous before the race began.

"I had to use the bathroom a couple times before it started," Chester said.

Chester's coach, Jori Swan Caratini, said she'd been doing a lot of speed work recently in preparation for the invitational.

"Jordan ran with strong determination," Caratini said.

Boone Grove had all three runners post their best times of the season.

Kankakee Valley's own freshman phenom, Breanne Chevrette, took third place with a time of 19:32, her best this season.