The Lady Pioneers put it all together for a strong runner-up finish Tuesday at the 5A East Cross Country Championship at Crowley’s Ridge College in Paragould.
Led by senior Maggie Walton in seventh place at 24:21, the ladies joined team champion Jonesboro with five runners in the top 15 over the 3-mile course.
Pack running made the difference as Jonesboro took second through sixth places just 36 seconds apart behind individual winner Ava Sciba of Searcy (21:34), while the Pioneers ran together even tighter in 11th through 14th separated by just 33 seconds.
Sophomore Clara Nikkel (25:26) pushed ahead of senior Kate Moody (25:35) in the hills of the second lap, and junior Kate Gunter (25:53) closed hard just in front of sophomore Kinley Dorris (25:59).
On the season, the ladies won the team title at Tuckerman and have taken three second places and a third place out of eight races.
Jonesboro also claimed the senior boys title Tuesday with seven runners in the top 20 for 30 points as Searcy (58) and Batesville (73) each had five in the top 25. Pioneer senior Trey Moody grabbed a medal in 10th place at 18:47, with freshmen Ethan Insell (12th, 19:01) and Ryan Barber (13th, 19:03) just missing medals of their own. Searcy senior Mason Sciba (16:42) dropped West Memphis senior Freddie Thorne (16:52) over the last half mile for the individual title.
Batesville senior Noah Chaffin was sandwiched among three West Memphis runners, taking 21st place in 20:15. Junior Tanner Queary filled out the scoring five for Batesville in 24th at 21:15, coming up just short by a second in his finishing kick behind Gregory Thomas of West Memphis. The Pioneer mid-pack ran well together as junior Daniel Latus (29th, 21:46), freshman Isaac Wehrung (first varsity race, 30th, 22:00), junior Andrew Wixson (33rd, 22:39) and senior Shayne Coffey (35th, 22:42) finished less than a minute apart. Senior Jacob Dorris (41st, 23:55) ran his best in two years, seconds off his personal best from 2019. Senior Nathan Hernandez ran 26:14 and sophomore Trevor Finnie 27:43 to complete the squad.
With three freshmen moved up to senior high for the championship, the Pioneer junior boys did not have a team score, but ninth-grader Jackson Insell raced to the 10th place medal in a strong 10:10 over the mile and a half. Seventh-grader Reece Wixson ran 12:14.
Eighth-grader Victoria Nelms gave the Pioneers an individual medalist in every race, finishing ninth out of 55 junior girls in 11:16. Classmate Rachel Mills surged through the pack over the last half mile for 26th in 12:35, with freshman Sianna Balderas a minute behind in 36th, just ahead of eighth-grader Yuridia Barrios (13:37). All of the junior girls are in their first season with the team and saved the best for last. Chloe Cordell (14:03), Serenity Patterson (in her first race after volleyball season, 14:28), Mackenzie Vestal (14:55), Taylor Bishop (15:17), and Kaitlyn Hughes (15:54) all closed the season on a high note. Vestal and Balderas are ninth graders and all of the others are eighth graders.
The junior high season is over, but the senior high squads travel to the state championships Friday, Nov. 5, at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs. The Lady Pioneers are scheduled to start at 2 p.m. and the boys at 2:45.
5A East results are available at stearnsracetiming.com and ar.milesplit.com.
Article and images submitted by Megan Renihan, Batesville School District Communications
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