Cross country sweeps Fort Smith Invitational
FORT SMITH — A change of plans turned out to a be a winning choice for the Siloam Springs cross country teams.
The Panthers and Lady Panthers were scheduled to participate in an incentive meet — the Minuteman 5K in Little Rock on Saturday — however concerns over the weather led to both Siloam Springs teams participating in the Fort Smith Invitational at Ben Geren Park.
Both the Panthers and Lady Panthers ended up taking first place in the 5A6A divisions in their first race of the season.
“We started getting nervous on Thursday about the weather in Little Rock,” said head coach Sharon Jones. “We were afraid we’d make the overnight trip and not get to race. So we pulled out and brought everyone to Fort Smith. But it worked out well. I like being together anyway. I wasn’t looking forward to missing everyone else run.”
Boys
Siloam Springs had five boys finish in the top 20 to win the boys division.
The Panthers finished with 46 points, edging out Fort Smith Southside’s 48 points, while Van Buren had 71, Greenwood 75 and Fort Smith Northside 103.
“Our boys were really fired up today,” Jones said.
Northside’s Braeden Hindley finished first individually with a time of 17 minutes, 47.1 seconds, but Siloam Springs’ Kerrig Kelly was a close second at 17:53.4.
Teammate Michael Capehart finished third with a new personal record of 17:55.9.
“Kerrig and Michael led a good portion of the race running right together,” Jones said. “Michael eventually took the lead, but it was Kerrig who crossed the finish line first. They definitely pushed each other.”
Samuel Granderson finished 12th at 19:46.1, while Adam Kennedy was 13th at 19:49.6 and Blake Morrison 16th at 20:05.6.
“Another surprise was Blake,” Jones said. “He’s been hurt off and on all summer and has just recently been running hard again. That was a bonus today. Adam and Samuel both have been working to close the gap. So proud of them.”
Luke Fields placed 30th at 21:47.7, while Ben Humphries was 34th at 23:30.2 and Seth Funk 45th at 23:32.8.
Girls
Siloam Springs had nine runners place in the top 20 and four in the top 10 as the Lady Panthers won the girls meet.
Siloam Springs finished with 33 points, in front of Greenwood’s 60, Fort Smith Northside 63 and Fort Smith Southside 76.
Fort Smith Southside’s Jackie Martini took first individually at 20 minutes 43.50 seconds, while Greenwood’s tandem of Taylor Koeth (21:03.00) and Macie Cash (22:02.10) were second and third respectively.
But Siloam Springs had the next four finishers.
With lead runner Chloe McGooden out taking the ACT, Claudia Mercado led the Lady Panthers with a fourth-place time of 22:52.70.
“Claudia jumped up in the pack,” Jones said. “She came through huge today as our leader.”
Candy Dubon took fifth at 23:03.80, while Quincy
Efurd was sixth at 23:13.10 and Sydney Moorman seventh at 23:17.40.
“I’m excited about Quincy’s first race,” Jones said. “She did great, and Candy as well. I was pleasantly surprised in the order of our girls today. I can’t wait to see who steps up next week.”
Rebekah Rodgers placed 11th at 24:01.00, while Brittany Pilcher was 12th at 24:20.40.
Abby Thompson placed 17th at 26:34.40, followed by Bethany Mejia in 18th at 26:48.00 and Jordan Rush in 19th at 27:07.20.
Katie Bishop placed 29th at 30:08.00, while Isabel Carrion was 31st at 30:36.90 and Mary Grace Green 36th at 32:37.70.
Up next
The Panthers and Lady Panthers are scheduled to host the annual Panther Cross Country Classic on Saturday at the
I’m excited about Quincy’s first race. She did great, and Candy as well. I was pleasantly surprised in the order of our girls today. I can’t wait to see who steps up next week. SharonJones SSHS cross country coach Simmons Course. The Panthers are defending meet champions, while the girls finished second last year.
An 800-meter fun run is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. for grades 1-3, followed by a 1,600-meter fun run for grades 4-6. Registration for the fun runs are $12 and can be completed between 7:45 and 8:15.
The high school boys 5K will be at 9 a.m., followed by the high school girls at 9:30. The twomile junior high boys run will begin at 10 a.m., followed by the junior high girls at 10:30.