Local high school cross country teams participated in their respective section meets last Thursday, October 29. Belgreen, Phil Campbell and Tharptown competed in the Class 1A-2A Section 2 meet at Point Mallard Park in Decatur, while Russellville ran in the Class 5A Section 5 meet at the same location.
In Class 1A-2A Section 2, Belgreen’s Elizabeth Motes was the Bulldogs lone competitor, An eighth-grader, Motes finished 11th in the girls’ 5K race with a time of 24:20.38. Her time qualified her as an individual at the AHSAA Cross Country Championships.
Phil Campbell sophomore Rayna Scott also ran in the girls’ 5K and came in 15th place with a time of 25:06.58. Eighth-grader Blaize Wilson, competing in the boys’ 5K, placed 34th with a time of 22:04.63.
Tharptown High School had four student-athletes race in the girls’ 5K: Freshman Sophie Waldrep, junior Angelina Thomas Mendez, junior Yesenia Ramirez and senior Priscila Matias. Waldrep led the group, completing the race in 24:59.58, good for 14th place, and qualified for the upcoming state championship meet. Thomas Mendez also secured an individual qualifying spot with her time of 28:58.71.
On the boys’ side, the Wildcats were led by seventh-grader Giovani Mojica, who came in 11th place with a time of 19:37.64. Three others—Angel Alonzo, Fredy Orellano, and Santiago Castro—also finished in the top 20.
Tharptown’s individual results can be viewed HERE.
With an average 5K time of 20:32, the THS boys’ cross country team finished third place out of seven teams in the 1A-2A standings and qualified for state.
In the Class 5A Section 5 meet, Russellville’s girls’ cross country team finished in seventh out of nine teams in the final standings. Individually, the Lady Golden Tigers were paced by junior Heidy Jacobo, who placed 21st with a time of 21:51.80. Jacobo’s performance earned her a individually qualifier spot in the state meet.
Russellville’s boys’ team qualified for the state championships after coming in fourth place with an average 5K time of 17:30. Led by junior Pascual Felipe, who placed 14th with a time of 16:45.14, four Golden Tigers finished in the top 30.
All of Russellville’s individual results can be viewed HERE.
The AHSAA Cross Country State Championships will be held at Oakville Indian Mounds Park on Saturday, November 7.