The Harlan County girls varsity cross country team continued its early-season dominance Saturday, this time with an impressive 11-point victory over second-place Corbin in the Wayne County Invitational.
“I’m so proud of our teams today. These girls ran a fantastic race and got a big win. It was a total team effort,” Harlan County coach Ryan Vitatoe said.
To lead the girls, Peyton Lunsford placed third with a time of 21:10.60. She was immediately followed by Lauren Lewis (21:20.15). Gracie Roberts was eighth with a time of 22:20.13. Rounding out the results were Kiera Roberts (14th, 23:01.36), Preslee Hensley (20th, 23:32.82), Jaycee Simpson (31st, 24:41.32), Charli Shepherd (32nd, 24:41.89), Addi Gray (37th, 25:58.66), Olivia Kelly (68th, 29:03.34) and Aliya Burkhart (73rd, 30:29.17).
“We had several girls run big PRs, and they just worked and moved so well together. They beat some strong teams that we have tremendous respect for, and this should be a big confidence booster for them,” Vitatoe said.
“It’s hard to pinpoint one girl, because they all did great. I don’t want to leave anyone out. Now it becomes about continuing to work and get better. This is a focused group, and I’m proud of them.”
Tanner Daniels won the boys varsity race with a time of 17:37.30, pacing the Bears to a second-place finish. Jacob Schwenke finished 13th with a time of 18:56.91, while Kaden Boggs (19:19.88) was 18th. Other finishers were Elijah Moore (21st, 19:29.71), Caleb Schwenke (30th, 19:44.39), Evan Simpson (53rd, 21:01.69), DaShaun Smith (55th, 21:13.34), Ethan Simpson (62nd, 21:27.35), Kaylob Stevens (76th, 22:17.03) and Caden Craig (123rd, 34:47.11).
“The boys killed it today too. Almost all of our guys ran a PR and you can’t ask for anything more. We have several who are on the cusp of a big breakout. I see it coming,” Vitatoe said. “They all are hard workers, and they’re a close group. When you have that type of environment and energy on your team, the sky is the limit.
“What a big win this was for Tanner. He made so many smart decisions throughout the race, and I’m just really proud of him.”
Jackson Mackowiak finished 26th with a time of 13:41.21 in the boys middle school race.
“Jackson did great today,” Vitatoe said. “He’s a kid who’s trying to balance cross country with football, and he goes immediately after every practice and gets his run in.”
Harlan County will return to action Tuesday at Morgan County High School for the Sorghum Run.
