The Harlan County girls middle school cross country team had an impressive showing at North Laurel on Saturday, placing five girls in the top 10 en route to a first-place finish overall.
“I’m proud of our kids. This was definitely a very challenging meet with a huge field of talented teams on all levels of competition,” Harllan County coach Ryan Vitatoe said.
Lauren Lewis led the middle school girls, finishing second with a time of 14:18.23. She was immediately followed by Gracie Roberts (14:39.63). Kiera Roberts (15:04.58), Charli Shepherd (15:16.48) and Jaycee Simpson (15:19.97) finished fifth, seventh and ninth, respectively. Alice Gross placed 54th with a time of 23:34.98.
“The middle school girls had an outstanding performance today,” Vitatoe said. “They did a great job of working together and moving as a pack. This was a huge win for them and I’m really proud.”
Tanner Daniels led the middle school boys, winning the race with a time of 10:50.83. Jackson Mackowiak (16:15.57) placed 37th, while Jayden Sargent was 47th with a time of 17:27.07.
“Tanner had another big win,” Vitatoe said. “This was a solid field and he ran great.
“We’ve been trying to balance our middle school kids between competing at their level and the opportunity to compete in varsity. I’m anxious to see how we look on Tuesday when they step up to the varsity level.”
Peyton Lunsford (21:59.61) led the varsity Lady Bears to a sixth-place finish, placing fourth overall. Preslee Hensley was 14th with a time of 24:31.58. Aliyah Deleon (37th) finished with a time of 27:25.77. Other finishers were Addi Gray (59th, 30:26.98), Olivia Kelly (70th, 32:42.40), Aliya Burkhart (80th, 34:12.89) and Taylor Clem (94th, 38:30.16).
“Our girls had another solid day and I’m proud of how they competed. We still have lots to work on as a team, but today was an opportunity for growth and I’m anxious to see how we respond on Tuesday,” Vitatoe said.
Jacob Schwenke was 22nd with a time of 20:12.37, leading the Bears to a sixth-place finish. Kaden Boggs (26th) finished with a time of 20:32.49. Elijah Moore (20:58.66) placed 31st, immediately followed by Caleb Schwenke (20:59.14). Evan Simpson (21:38.90) and Ethan Simpson (22:08.48) were 44th and 52nd, respectively.
“I thought our boys varsity competed hard. We have a mixture of veterans and new guys, and I’m really pleased with how quickly they’re coming together,” Vitatoe said. “They ran as a team today, and you can see definitive improvement from last week. It’s exciting to watch.”
In the boys junior varsity race, Kaylob Stevens and Jonavan Rigney finished 23rd and 26th with times of 25:15.24 and 26:03.55, respectively.
“All of our kids are working hard and I’m really proud of them. Some days we will struggle, and I try to remind them they are not machines,” Vitatoe said. “Some days we may struggle mentally, some days the legs may not work, but the key is to not let one bad race turn into two. We have to keep our eyes forward and embrace the bad days too. You can’t have success without struggle.”
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The elementary divisions were split due to the size of the meet.
Hutton Sherman led the fourth through sixth grade elementary boys to a third-place finish, placing seventh overall with a time of 7:37.27. He was immediately followed by Trey Creech (7:41.20). Robby Johnson was 32nd with a time of 8:47.09. Rounding out the results were Jacob Brock (34th, 8:50.39), Brantley Burkhart (36th, 8:55.88), Jace Hensley (59th, 9:48.50), Connor Banks (60th, 9:50.45), Levi Hensley (70th, 10:17.29), Ben Crain (73rd, 10:23.37), Zakk Collins (92nd, 11:48.34), Ace Lankford (93rd, 11:48.99), Landin Blackwelder (97th, 12:21.01), Colton Hensley (107th, 14:17.70), Jordan Sargent (108th, 14:21.91), Cian Garland (109th, 14:28.81) Hunter Asher (113th, 15:28.13) and Jonah Doyle (120th, 20:48.12).
In the fourth through sixth grade elementary girls race, Krislyn Clem placed 43rd with a time of 10:48.68. Natalie Moore was 79th with a time of 13:29.79.
Ella Brock (5:24.95) led the lower elementary girls to a fourth-place finish, placing seventh. Bella Burkhart was 15th with a time of 5:43.83, while Kaylyn Lawson (6:18.16) was 26th. Rounding out the results were Landri Dagnan (41st, 6:43.99), Nevaeh Perkins (46th, 6:57.52), Charlotte Mitchell (51st, 7:07.98), Peyton Sherman (52nd, 7:09.02), Paisleigh Asher (53rd, 7:11.21), Sadie Shackleford (55th, 7:16.54), Evva Hensley (62nd, 7:37.24), Kadie Lawson (64th, 7:42.70), Macie Lawson (78th, 8:16.76), Payton Blackwelder (80th, 8:28.31) and Nevaeh Stone (81st, 8:29.90).
Tate Sherman was the top finisher for the lower elementary boys, placing 25th with a time of 5:46.72. Jonah Sargent (5:49.50) finished 29th, while Deacon Lisenbee was 56th with a time of 6:25.90. Other finishers were Sawyer Shackleford (59th, 6:29.85), Noah Blackwelder (62nd, 6:35.50), Brayden Perkins (70th, 6:59.37), Jase Sargent (87th, 8:31.95), Hunter Evans (88th, 8:35.49) and Micah Lawson (98th, 10:00.08). The team placed eighth overall.
“I like traveling for meets. Yesterday we ran a tough course and faced stiff competition. It was a long, hot day but these young runners pushed through,” HC elementary coach Jennifer Brock said. “These boys are tough and show great leadership within our elementary team. I love watching them learn to pace themselves and then push through to the finish.”
The Black Bears will return to action Tuesday at home in an all comers meet.