Bulldog cross country finishes second at Normal Parkside
By Fred Kroner
In a 53-team junior high girls’ cross-country meet on Saturday (Sept. 9) at Normal Parkside, Mahomet-Seymour’s top five runners crossed the finish line within 15.40 seconds of one another, helping the Bulldogs garner a second-place finish.
Cecily Smith was the team-leader, placing 33rd in a 361-runner field. Her 2-mile time was 13 minutes and 9.80 seconds.
Following her were Paige Jansen (37th in 13:16.50), Ava Cvengros (39th in 13:23.00), Finley Smith (40th in 13:24.50) and Kennedy Ashby (41st in 13:25.20).
Also representing M-S were Yuna Kim (114th in 14:14.00) and Phoebe Graham (141st in 14:33.40).
“The athletes ran as a group today, changing positions throughout the whole race,” M-S head coach Lisa Martin said. “This was a very important key to why each runner in this group either ran a lifetime record or a season record.
“As coaches navigated the course to our usual cheering spots, we found ourselves not knowing which athlete would lead us into the home stretch. All we hoped for is that this group would stick together, and they did. It was amazing.”
In the 37-school girls’ open race, six M-S runners wound up among the first 13 runners in a field of 558 competitors.
The Bulldogs’ leaders were Chandler Mills (second in 14 minutes), Roya Beere (third in 14:20.20), Ashley Martin (sixth in 14:29.40), Brinley Hillard (eighth in 14:30.30), Brooke Patrick (10th in 14:32.50) and Emma Dewitt (13th in 14:36.20).
“I have gone on and on about how our varsity races ran as a team, which is why we brought home team trophies,” Martin said, “but when you look at the open races, you will see we are once again deep in talent.
“The open girls team dominated the competition. I wish I could list every single runner. We have athletes on our team who have never been runners, athletes that thought they would never be able to cross the finish line of a 2-mile race.”
Many of those individuals proved themselves wrong on Saturday.
“Those athletes smiled as they crossed the finish line,” Martin added. “To see the excitement in their eyes helps coaches to know that what we are doing is working: building a community of athletes that will appreciate the benefits of running for many years to come.”
