The Harlan County cross country team had an impressive performance at Morgan County on Tuesday at the Sorghum Run Invitational. The Lady Bears won the meet, while the Bears placed second overall.
“What a great night of competition. This was another big meet on a super region course, and I thought our kids ran great,” Vitatoe said. “They definitely brought the same intensity they’ve had all season, and it was a great performance.”
Peyton Lunsford led the girls to their victory, finishing second overall with a time of 20:33.90. Lauren Lewis placed fifth with a time of 21:01.10. She was immediately followed by Gracie Roberts (21:21.50) and Preslee Hensley (22:24.50). Jaycee Simpson was 10th with a time of 22:54.20. Other finishers were Kiera Roberts (13th, 23:14.00), Charli Shepherd (14th, 23:14.90), Addi Gray (24th, 24:46.30) and Olivia Kelly (35th, 26:45.66).
“I’m really proud of the girls. Coming into tonight, we’ve only had five girls run under 22 minutes in our program’s history, and Lauren and Gracie joined that group. They ran great,” Vitatoe said. “Peyton ran a great race as well, and I was really proud of her moves in the last 1,200 meters. She really battled.
“Kiera, Jaycee, and Charli had big races again this evening, and I thought Preslee bounced back with a great race. I thought those four packed up really well and did a great job of sealing the win for us. Addi Gray ran a huge PR, and Olivia also ran great tonight. I really feel like I should mention them all, because they all were fantastic.
“These girls have beaten some great teams in the last two meets. Boyd is one of the top teams in AA, and I was really proud of our effort against them. They just keep getting better.”
Tanner Daniels was second in the boys varsity race, finishing with a time of 16:48.40 and setting a new school record. Jacob Schwenke finished seventh with a time of 18:12.80. Kaden Boggs (18:29.40) placed 12th. Rounding out the results were Elijah Moore (21st, 19:15.10), DaShaun Smith (28th, 20:03.47), Evan Simpson (29th, 20:06.69), Caleb Schwenke (30th, 20:10.28), Ethan Simpson (31st, 20:15.15), Kaylob Stevens (51st, 21:36.52), Jonavan Rigney (55th, 21:49.31) and Caden Craig (108th, 28:04.06).
“I can’t say enough about the boys and the amount of PRs we had in this race,” Vitatoe said. “This was our first really flat, really fast course this season and they did not disappoint.
“I’m really proud of Tanner. He ran an intelligent race and made moves at the exact right moments. To run sub 17 is incredible, but to do it as an eighth-grader is nuts. He now holds every record at each division for cross country, and that’s awesome. There’s a lot of good racing ahead of him.
“All my guys were solid tonight. I was really pleased with the move Elijah made in the second loop. That was big for us. DaShaun had his best race, so did Evan and Ethan Simpson, and Jacob and Kaden were big tonight as well.
“I am really proud of Caden Craig for his performance. Caleb ran great, so did Jonavan and Kaylob…all the boys were fantastic. You can see a definitive improvement, and I’m not the least bit surprised with how hard they work. It was a really nice night of competition, and I thought they battled Mason County hard. Mason is one of the upper level teams in AA and we really battled. That’s growth, and I’m proud of them.”
“Now we get back to work to keep improving. This group (both boys and girls) is one of the hardest working groups I’ve ever had, and that explains the improvement we’ve witnessed so far this season,” Vitatoe said. “Now we have to finish strong.”
The Bears will return to action in Wise, Va., for the Border Clash on Wednesday.