By FRED KRONER Mahomet-Seymour’s girls’ cross-country team edged Mount Zion by one point on Saturday (Aug. 26) for team supremacy in the 10-school Champaign Edison junior high cross-country meet. The Bulldogs accumulated 45 points. Mount Zion finished with 46 points and third-place Monticello totaled 106 points. The five M-S runners who contributed to the team scoring all placed among the top 13 in an 89-person race. Kennedy Ashby was fifth, with a 2-mile time of 13 minutes, 53 seconds. She was followed by Paige Jansen (seventh in 13:57), Cecily Smith (11th in 14:16.51), Finley Smith (12th in 14:16.82) and Ava Cvengros (13th in 14:42). “Before the race, we talked about what our strength would be this season,” M-S coach Lisa Martin said. “We all agreed that it was going to be packing it up as close to our lead runner as possible. “That is exactly what helped us earn first place, edging out a strong Mount Zion team. This title of race champs literally came down to one second. I have no doubt that it was the team effort that put us in contention for the title spot, led by a strong finish from Kennedy Ashby, an experienced eighth-grader who is no stranger to finding success on the race course.” Jansen entered the finish chute four seconds after her teammate. “These two led our team confidently as they navigated the course together,” Martin said. “The secret to pulling off the victory lies in our third-, fourth- and fifth-position runners. “The dynamic duo of the Smith twins led the rest of the team in, with Cecily and Finley finishing together, leading the remainder of our strong lineup across the finish line, edging out the rest of Mount Zion’s varsity lineup.” Cvengros was the Bulldogs’ fifth finisher, but aided the school’s team score by placing ahead of both the fourth and fifth runners from Mount Zion. “As many cross-country enthusiasts know, this is one of the toughest positions to be in,” Martin said. “Ava pulled through and found her racing legs during a hard-fought second mile, setting her sights on the two opposing runners that were several meters in front of her. “By the end of the race, she had pushed through and was able to break them up to earn us the needed points to win the meet.” The Bulldogs’ other varsity runners were Phoebe Graham (16th in 15:10) and Emma Dewitt (22nd in 15:36). “Both of these runners ran so well that they finished before most other teams’ top five runners,” Martin said. “This shows that this was truly a team effort as these two were able to push points away from other teams.” In the 161-runner open race for girls not in the varsity portion of the meet, M-S sixth-grader Ashley Martin was the winner. She was timed in 14:36 and finished 3.18 seconds ahead of the runner-up. She was one of nine Bulldogs to finish among the top 20. The others were: seventh-grader Yuna Kim (seventh in 15:21), sixth-grader Roya Beere (ninth in 15:31), sixth-grader Chandler Mills (10th in 15:38), sixth-grader Cicely Brokish (12th in 16:02), sixth-grader Jilyan Clark (13th in 16:05), sixth-grader Brooke Alderks (14th in 16:10), sixth-grader Brinley Hillard (15th in 16:18) and seventh-grader Rilynn Nelson (20th in 16:34). “The open runners would once again be challenged by the strength and depth of the Mount Zion girls’ team,” Lisa Martin said. “Mount Zion runners took the race out by leading the majority of the 2 miles with four solid runners. “The orange and blue runners, Yuna Kim, Ashley Martin and Chandler Mills, kept a close eye on the red and white uniforms early in the race. It wasn’t very long in the second mile before Bulldog leader Ashley Martin overtook the pack of competition. “Martin kept the race leader in close proximity and she adjusted her form and confidence level to challenge the Mount Zion eighth-grader as she entered the home stretch.” Buoyed by a boisterous cheering section, Ashley Martin gained the lead in the final meters to capture the individual crown. The Bulldog coach likes the promise and potential she sees in her youthful group. “This young pack of runners is going to continue to be solid and we have no doubt that as they grow in the sport, they will find themselves earning more recognition throughout their junior high tenure,” Lisa Martin said. M-S returns to action on Friday (Sept. 1) in the Chrisman Cowchip Classic.
