For the first time in 38 years, the Harlan Green Dragons will qualify for the KHSAA State Cross Country Championships as a team.
“The Harlan cross country team added to the history books in Morgan County yesterday at our regional race,” Harlan cross country coach Erin Alred said.
The boys finished as the regional runner-up Saturday at Morgan County in the Class A, Region 6 meet.
The girls placed fourth overall.
Tanner Daniels and Harper Carmical set new school records at the meet. Daniels won the boys race with a time of 15:44.20. Carmical placed third in the girls race with a time of 21:16.90.
“Tanner Daniels won region for the second year in a row and reached a new PR, also setting a new school record. He is now projected to place second in the state. He is only a few seconds behind the first place projection and after seeing his determination on Saturday, I wouldn’t be surprised if he pulled out the upset,” Alred said. “He is ready for the competition. He set the tone for the race and our boys responded, placing runner-up in the region. As coaches, we all knew they could do it, but now they have proven it to themselves.
“They are the first team since 1987 to bring home a regional trophy. In 1985, 1986 and 1987 the Harlan boys cross country team brought home three regional titles in a row. The best part is one of those runners on that winning team is our assistant coach, Mike Pace. Coach Pace is a huge asset to our program. He has so much wisdom about the sport and passes on his knowledge to our young runners.”
“Harper Carmical set a new school record on Saturday. She broke her own record from last season. She was locked in on Saturday,” Alred said. “The weather and atmosphere could not have been better and she responded with a third-place finish. She set the tone for our girls team and they responded.”
Following Daniels, Cooper Thomas was 12th with a time of 18:52.29, immediately followed by Dalton Halcomb (18:52.53). Gibson Wilder placed 25th with a time of 20:07.10. Cruz Galloway (30th) and Xavier Farley (33rd) finished with times of 20:25.22 and 20:37.74, respectively. Garrett Wilder finished 47th with a time of 21:46.09.
“Our boys team now knows what it will take to win the region in the future. They gave everything they had on Saturday and that is all a coach can ask for. I also think they had fun doing it. Cooper Thomas and Dalton Halcomb had fun, sprinting it out at the finish line to finish with new PRs. Gibson Wilder and Cruz Galloway finished with PRs. When Cruz came across that finish line, I think he was in shock that he ran that fast.
“The funny thing I think about when I look at these boys is, four of the seven runners had never ran distance until this year. These boys have built this team with one goal in mind and they aren’t finished yet.”
Following Carmical, Priscilla Stewart (23:35.52) and Cora Jones (23:53.40) placed 12th and 14th, respectively. Lillie Carver was 30th with a time of 25:51.20. Josephine Toll (33rd) and Gwendolyn Toll (39th) finished with times of 26:54.70 and 30:11.12, respectively. Amy Roman was 42nd with a time of 31:25.02.
“Our girls team rallied together to come up with a fourth-place finish in the region to qualify for state. We were projected to be sixth in the region, but those girls came out to battle,” Alred said. “We couldn’t be more proud of their resilience and dedication to keep improving.
“Every girl on our varsity team set their PR on Saturday. Each one of these girls has overcome an obstacle this season, which has only made them stronger runners. They are already making new goals for next season, however, they are ready for one more race.”
“Being alongside these two teams and my fellow coaches has been surreal this season,” Alred said. “I can say they have made my first year as a head coach worth every second. I truly feel like we are just beginning. The future of the Harlan Dragons cross country team is bright. We have a lot more victories to look forward to, but first we will conquer state with two full teams.”