After winning the regional championships last weekend and securing two top-10 finishes last year, the Harlan County cross country teams are expected to have great success Saturday at the KHSAA State Cross Country Championships at Lexington.
“We have a tremendous opportunity ahead of us in this weekend’s KHSAA Cross Country State Championships. Both teams are coming off a great performance in the regional championships and appear to be running their best at the right time,” Vitatoe said “I’m excited to see how we perform this weekend. They’ve definitely put the work in.
“Both teams are certainly in position for another high finish at the state meet. We return a core group who have been in this position in the last two seasons, and they understand what it takes to be successful at this level. We’ve spent the last two weeks of the season discussing the importance of approaching meets as another hard workout, and they really did that well in the regional meet. That will be the key here as well. Our focus must be on competing hard and closing out the final mile of the race. If we do that, I think they have a great chance to be successful, but they have to be running for each other. Hopefully, they’ll be ready to compete this Saturday.”
Both teams are currently ranked inside the top 10 in the state.
The Lady Bears finished third overall in the state meet last year and claimed the highest finish in the girls program’s history in 2023, finishing second.
“The girls were fantastic last weekend. I thought they were all dialed in and ready to compete, and they’ve carried that over into this week’s practices. This group has been in this position the last two seasons, and I feel good about their focus on confidence heading into the state championships,” Vitatoe said. “We must continue to pack well and prevent any large gaps between our group. One of the things I remind them of constantly is that they’ll have to hurt to be successful. If we approach it with that mentality, I think a high finish is possible as well as the potential for several individual medalists.”
Gracie Roberts is expected to have a big performance as the regional champion.
“Grace had a tremendous race at the region meet. I knew a breakthrough was coming, and she needs to carry that momentum into this meet,” Vitatoe said. “She’s looked great this week in practice and I think a top-10 finish is doable for her if she’s dialed in.”
Lauren Lewis is anticipated to make a strong showing.
“Lauren ran her most complete race of the season last weekend, she did a great job of taking control of that second pack and moving them,” Vitatoe said. “She’s definitely running her best, and will have a solid chance at a medal.”
Kiera Roberts is expected to run well.
“Kiera has had an incredible season. I know I’ve mentioned before how much she’s grown in her confidence,” Vitatoe said. “I feel like she’s the most confident she’s ever been, and she’ll have a chance to medal.”
Andrea Napier has developed into one of the state’s top middle school runners..
“Andrea is running fantastic. It’s great to see her become more confident and assertive. I think she has a chance to finish very high this weekend,” Vitatoe said.
Preslee Hensley is anticipated to be a key contributor.
“Preslee has been big in the last two state meets. I can’t say enough about her and what she’s meant to us this season,” Vitatoe said. “I think she is primed for a big race on Saturday.”
Julionna Johnson is predicted to run well.
“Julionna is running her best right now and had a massive PR last weekend,” Vitatoe said. “I really believe she has the opportunity to blow her last race out of the water and set another big PR.”
Suzy Mumford is expected to finish strong.
“Suzy is running great as well, and had a big PR last weekend. I know she’s going to be focused on making her final race her best,” Vitatoe said.
Vitatoe recognized the alternates on the girls side: Ariel Farley, Autumn Farley and Sienna Banks.
“I appreciate Ariel, Autumn and Sienna and I’d have no hesitation to call on them to compete for us,” Vitatoe said. “They’ve all had a great season, and I hope they realize that we don’t get here without them.”
“Ariel came on very strong at the end of the season and she’ll be huge for us before her career is over. Autumn is the same way. She had a great fall and continued to shave time each meet. Sienna is also going to be very good for us. She improved a ton this season.”
The Bears secured the highest finish in the boys program’s history last year, placing fifth.
“I’m so proud of this group of guys for their season, especially when you consider the number of seniors we lost from last season. This group of guys picked up right where they left off and have done a great job of packing up and running together,” Vitatoe said. “Without a doubt, every guy on this team is running their best at the right time of year.
“It’s not often that every runner sets a PR at the regional meet, and that goes to show you how good they are and how hard they’ve worked. The key for Saturday is to avoid big gaps between our packs. The second group has closed the gap on the first, and they’ll need to close more on Saturday to prevent a large number of athletes from getting in between us. I think they have a great opportunity to finish very high as a team. I know they’re prepared.”
Elijah Moore is anticipated to make a strong showing after leading HC in the regional race.
“Elijah has had a great season. He has a real opportunity to medal on Saturday. He’s done a great job of leading us this season, and we’ll need him to do it one more time,” Vitatoe said.
Jacob Schwenke is expected to finish high.
“Jacob has really come on in the last two weeks,” Vitatoe said. “He can absolutely medal if he pushes himself on Saturday.”
DaShaun Smith is anticipated to play a big role.
“I can’t say enough about the improvement DaShaun has made this season,” Vitatoe said. “He has a great opportunity to finish highly on Saturday. We’ll need him to hold pace with that front group for us to accomplish our goal.”
Braxton Duncan is predicted to run well.
“Braxton has been lights out, and I think he’s poised for his best race of the season this weekend. He’s looked great in practice,” Vitatoe said.
Ethan Lewis is anticipated to be key contributor.
“Ethan has been great this season. We will need him to move that second group on Saturday to help us reach our goal,” Vitatoe said. “I have no doubt he’s ready to roll.”
Christopher Johnson is expected to finish strong.
“Chris had his best race of the season on Saturday. He will need to keep in contact with that pack and keep pushing them throughout,” Vitatoe said.
Braxton Hubbard is anticipated to run well.
“Braxton will be big for us on Saturday. He’s improved a ton this season and I think his best race is coming,” Vitatoe said.
Vitatoe also acknowledged the alternates for the boys: Jayden Sargent, Karson Dunn and Robby Johnson.
“I can’t say enough about our three alternates and the work they’ve done this season. Jayden has had a great year and really came on strong at the end of the season,” Vitatoe said. “Karson has been huge for us and is only going to get better, and Robby has only begun to scratch the surface of his potential.
“I’d put any of those three on the line without hesitation. These six alternates (both boys and girls) have been big for us and will make a huge impact down the road.”
“The task ahead of us is a big one, but these kids are more than capable of placing well,” Vitatoe said. “They have continued the ‘team first’ trend, and I believe they’ll be ready to compete for each other one last time this season, especially for the seniors who have mean so much to our program.”
The boys run at 12:30 p.m. and the girls will race at 1:15 p.m.