XC Teams prepare for the championship season

C. Oney, H. Martin, M. Blackburn, C. Staviski, A. Henderson, J. Bussell, C. Whitt, I. Copher and H. Bussell.

B. Anderson, J. Overholser, D. Begley, C. Bowen, Z. Martin, B. Williams and T. Whitten.

Both the boys & girls XC teams brought home the 3rd place trophy from the 13th annual GRC Run for the Water Barrel meet. The meet was contested at Lykins Park in Winchester. The course has long straight stretches with several dog-leg turns and two narrow bridges. The races included teams from Powell, Menifee, Bourbon, Clark and Lafayette.

In the girls 5K Varsity race Carrie Staviski finished 1st overall in a time of 20:34.48 winning the event for the third year in a row. Abby Henderson placed 6th with a 22:39.19 less than two seconds from her PR. Amelia Oldfield finished strong placing 18th with a season’s best time of 25:55.79. Staviski, Henderson & Oldfield all earned medals. Caroline Whitt finished with a PR performance of 27:07.31 Jaycie Bussell ran her season’s best time crossing the line at 33:21.15. Hannah Martin returning from an injury finished with a 36:25.05.

Caleb Bowen placed 5th in the boys 5K in a time of 18:14.16. Dakota Begley, fighting an injury, placed 12th finishing with a 19:02.99. James Overholser finished 17th and crossed the line with a 19:18.62. Bowen, Begley & Overholser all earned medals. Bryce Williams establish a PR finishing at 20:55.29. Tanner Whitten finished at 21:42.00. Zack Martin finished in a time of 22:51.20. Blake Anderson finishing with a 24:48.68 to set another PR. Rodney Crouch finished in a time of 27:49.43.

The team then traveled to Louisville for a weekend stay, and competed at the prestigious Greater Louisville Classic XC meet at the E.P. Tom Sawyer Park. This race featured the top athletes from across Kentucky as well as teams from West Virginia and Tennessee in all classes (A, AA, AAA). The meet is a two day event with elementary races on Friday evening followed by Gold, Silver and Blue College races on Saturday morning then the varsity high school invitational and open races. This 2016 girl’s race included 285 athletes and 35 full teams, while the boy’s race had 305 athletes and 45 full teams.

Carrie Staviski placed in the Top 25 Finishers in the girls 5K, crossing the line in the 19th spot with a Seasons Best time of 20:16.55. Abby Henderson set a Personal Record with a time of 21:51.76 to finish 104th. Hannah Bussell finished with a 24:45.00 meeting her course goal. Amelia Oldfield set a Personal Record crossing the line at 25:09.17. Kristin Riddle competing in her first race of the season finished with a 26:23.39. Caroline Whitt set a Personal Record for the second meet in a row finishing at 26:26.09. Jaycie Bussell met her season’s average crossing the line at 32:21.06.

Caleb Bowen led the boys 5K finishing 109th in a time of 18:22.02. Dakota Begley nearly missed a Personal Record and placed 151st finishing with an 18:50.26. James Overholser met his course goal finishing in a time of 19:08.03. Tanner Whitten finished with a 21:50.25 and Zack Martin at 23:18.19 meeting his course goal. Blake Anderson set a Personal Record for the fourth time in his first year crossing the lane at 24:33.46.