Another year. Another top five finish. The faces may change, but the Harlan County Lady Bears continue to make an impact in the KHSAA State Cross Country Championships each year.
The Lady Bears secured their third consecutive top-five finish at the state meet Saturday, placing fourth.
The Bears had an impressive showing as well, placing 13th overall.
“I’m very proud of our teams for their performance today. I thought we came in ready to compete, and they all competed hard. When you get to this level, you have to raise your game to be competitive, and I thought we did that,” Harlan County cross country coach Ryan Vitatoe said. “The kids showed no fear of the environment, and I thought they were ready. They did great.”
“The girls were fantastic, and they competed their tails off. It was a nail-biter again this season, and we were right where we needed to be throughout the race. To come to the state meet and get on the stage for the third straight year is an incredible accomplishment,” Vitatoe said. “They fought hard today, and we knew it would be a tight race, but they accomplished their goal, and I’m really proud of them. I told them after the race not to allow anything to cloud the moment, to focus solely on this accomplishment, as it’s a big deal. They’re a great group of girls who work hard, and they deserve this. An interesting stat is that they were faster today as a group than when they finished as runner-up in 2023, which says a lot about their growth and the level of competition today. They really competed hard.
“I thought the boys competed hard today. I know they had the goal for a top-ten finish, but they have absolutely nothing to hang their heads about. I told them all week that the group after the top five was majorly competitive and it would be close. I thought we raced hard, and to have a top-15 finish at the state meet for six consecutive years is a really big deal. This group of seniors did a great job of leading us throughout the season, and I hope the younger guys learned from them.”
Gracie Roberts led the girls, finishing 17th with a time of 20:29.55. Kiera Roberts placed 29th with a time of 21:10.78. Lauren Lewis (21:33.10) was 38th, immediately followed by Andrea Napier (21:35.48). Preslee Hensley finished 45th with a time of 21:51.95. Julionna Johnson (88th) finished with a time of 23:10.16. Suzy Mumford placed 140th with a time of 25:14.26.
“I thought Grace had a big race today. She’s grown so much this season and has really developed into a strong leader for our team this season,” Vitatoe said. “She competed hard and beat some great runners today. Her best days are still coming, but I can’t say enough about her growth this year.”
“Lauren ran great today. She has come so far this year, and I’m really proud of her,” Vitatoe said. “She had a great race for us. Her hard work throughout the summer really paid off for her.”
“Kiera closed the race out hard today, and I thought it was one of her best performances in her career,” Vitatoe said. “She really competed hard and keeps getting more confident.”
“Andy was a difference maker for us today. For a first-year seventh grader to compete like that in a state championship is super impressive. She’s going to have an incredible career,” Vitatoe said.
“Preslee ran great today. I can never say enough how much she’s meant to our girl’s program. We will miss her terribly next year,” Vitatoe said. “Her leadership this season has been incredible.”
“JJ had her most complete race today,” Vitatoe said. “I know she’s run a faster time, but I believe today was her best performance of this season, and it was on the biggest stage. She’s got a bright future ahead of her.
“Suzy was great today, too, and I really think this was her best performance,” Vitatoe said. “She has worked hard and deserved this opportunity to compete at state. I’m really proud of her.
“We have a strong core returning next season, and they have the potential to continue this streak of high state finishes if they keep working hard. Ariel, Autumn, Sienna and Bella will be big contributors next year, and I’m hopeful we keep attracting kids to our program. I’m also hopeful the strong group of sixth graders will stick with us.”
To lead the boys, Elijah Moore finished 32nd with a time of 17:41.08. Jacob Schwenke (75th) finished with a time of 18:41.20. Braxton Duncan (19:14.32) and DaShaun Smith (19:19.58) placed 100th and 106th, respectively. Christopher Johnson was 116th with a time of 19:26.85. Ethan Lewis finished 139th with a time of 19:49.50. Braxton Hubbard (20:26.36) was 177th.
“Elijah had a great race today. He had a kid step on the back of his shoe early on, and he had to fix it, so that definitely had an impact on him, but true to his character, he pushed through and competed hard until the end,” Vitatoe said. “He’s been a great example to our team all season long, and we’ll miss his leadership next season.”
“Jacob had a good race today,” Vitatoe said. “He’s meant so much to our program these last five years, and he has helped us get to this level of respectability. His resume speaks for itself.”
“DaShaun ran well today, and he’s done such a great job this season of owning his role,” Vitatoe said. “He’s grown so much, both as a runner and as a leader. He’s been great this season.”
“Braxton had a great race today, I think it was his best of the season in terms of how hard he competed,” Vitatoe said. “He’s going to be a great one for us before he’s done.”
“Chris ran very well today. He’s worked so hard in his career and deserved to go out at the state meet,” Vitatoe said. “I’ll miss him next year.”
“Ethan competed hard today. He was a huge addition for us this season I’m really excited he had the chance to finish his career in the state meet. We will miss his leadership next year,” Vitatoe said.
“Braxton Hubbard was big today. He’s grown a lot as a first-year kid, and I’m proud of him,” Vitatoe said. “He’ll be big for us next year.
“We have a great group of young guys behind this group that will be big for us next year. Jayden, Karson, and Robby are going to be huge, but there are four – five others who were all under 21:00 this season that will be big contributors for us down the road. We’ve been hit hard the last two years, losing a total of 12 contributing guys. This group next year will have a lot to live up to, but they’ve had a chance to learn from back to back incredible groups of seniors.”
“I’m proud of the season we’ve had, and I hope that there are more kids out there who want to come be part of what we’re doing here. We work hard to make sure everyone feels part of what we are pursuing and that everyone is treated equally, regardless of their skill level. I’m really proud of that, as it’s something we put a lot of emphasis on,” Vitatoe said. “This group of kids has embodied that, and it’s the reason for their success this season. I can’t say enough how proud I am of them. They’ve given us another strong season of cross country at Harlan County.
“I want to thank our staff for all their hard work for these kids. Erica Moore, Jacob Carroll, David Lee, and Derek Plitt go above and beyond for our kids, as does Jennifer Brock with our elementary program. I can never thank them enough for all that they do, and the time that they sacrifice to work with our youth. I sincerely appreciate them.”