The Harlan Lady Dragons continue to build postseason consistency, qualifying as a team for state for the third consecutive year with a fourth-place finish at Saturday’s Class A Region 6 championship meet in Monticello.
“Today was a great day for our cross country team. Our runners have worked hard all season prepping for this day, and their efforts showed,” Harlan coach Anne Lindsey said. “We knew that in order to advance in our region everyone would need to run their best races today. Our teams have grown and developed so much this season.”
Somerset Christian won the girls race with 32 points. Jackson County and Williamsburg placed second and third, respectively, to round out the qualifying teams.
Harper Carmical placed seventh with a time of 23:32.61. Abbigaile Jones was 13th with a time of 23:52.11. Chloe Schwenke finished 20th with a time of 24:22.32. Juliana Damaa (26:28.12) and Ella Farley (26:50.05) were 24th and 28th, respectively. Gwendolyn Toll placed 39th with a time of 32:11.19, while Ella Lisenbee (33:29.91) was 42nd.
“Our girls put forth an amazing performance,” Lindsey said. “We are so proud of their growth and development this season, and we are excited to see their team run at the state meet.”
Noah Sharp qualified individually for the state meet, finishing 20th with a time of 20:37.44. The boys placed seventh overall. Jackson County won the boys race with 62 points.
“Noah hit the mark today and was able to advance as an individual runner. We’re excited for him to have the experience of running in the state meet next week,” Lindsey said. “Our boys all ran so well and were so close to advancing as a team to the state meet.”
Sharp was followed by Brayden Howard, who placed 29th with a time of 21:10.98. Evan Bargo (38th) finished with a time of 22:10.65. Cooper Thomas (22:31.36) and Connor Collins (22:53.81) were 44th and 46th, respectively. Gabriel Xavier Farley (23:15.90) was 49th. Sayed Damaa placed 70th with a time of 25:39.39.
“Our experienced runners have improved significantly in their performance and conditioning, while our new runners have developed a new love for this wonderful sport. Working with them each day is inspiring, and we are so thankful for the opportunity to be their coaches.”
Harlan will advance to the Class A state championship meet Saturday at Lexington.
