Cougar Challenge opens cross-country season in Tallahassee

Under threatening skies Tallahassee's high school cross-country season opened in Phipps Park on 14 September 2009 at the Cougar Challenge meet, hosted by Godby High School. When the racing was over, Stefanie Kurgatt of Maclay had won the Big Bend's first cross-country contest of the season with a 21:05 5K while her school took the team title with 43 points. On the boys' side the first honors of the season went to Maclay's Patrick Swain, the defending FHSAA-1A state champion in cross country. Maclay also claimed the boys' team crown with 47 points.

The first race of the afternoon was the high school girls' 5K, which got off slightly later than the posted 5:00 PM starting time--there was a delay while city workers removed a large fallen tree that was blocking the course. Cross country could only be postponed, however, and girls from eleven schools charged down the slope of the starting straightaway. As usual there were many optimists fighting for the early lead, but once the excitement of the start was gone strength took over, and two freshmen took over as front runners--Kristin Sweeney and Stefanie Kurgatt of Maclay. Kurgatt proved stronger on the third mile and crossed the line ahead of Sweeney, who ran 21:19. They finished over a quarter mile ahead of Lindsey Sanders of Maclay, the third-place runner at 23:21. Taking the first three places made Maclay a hard team to beat, and the Marauders ended up well-ahead of runner-up Lincoln, beating the Trojans 43 to 80.

Once the last of the girls had cleared the course it was time for the boys to race. By the second mile, Maclay's Patrick Swain and Austin Stevens were sharing the lead. But at the finish, Swain had the race all to himself, beating Stevens 17:27 to 17:44. Godby's Diuemy Duclos was another 200 meters back in third place at 18:31. Lincoln challenged for the team title but fell short as Maclay triumphed by ten points, 47 to 57.

The course was run in Phipps Park, land set aside by the Northwest Florida Water Management District to protect the Lake Jackson watershed and managed as a park by the city of Tallahassee. The trails in the park climb in and out of the Lake Jackson basin, and meet director Chris Sumner took advantage of those hills to design a challenging course. These were not races run in a flat south Florida parking lot.

Tallahassee fans of high school cross country will be happy to know that this is only the first of several meets in the area this fall. Other upcoming events in and around Tallahassee include:

• Lincoln Invitational (September 19, Tom Brown Park)
• Quail Trail Invitational (September 26, Pebble Hill)
  
• FSU Invitational (October 10, Apalachee Regional Park)
• 2A District 1 Pre-District Meet (October 17, Phipps Park)
  
• Tallahassee City Championship (October 30, Maclay School)
• District 1-A Championship (November 5, Maclay School)
• District 1-AA Championship (November 7, Phipps Park)

Links:

• Photos of the high school girls' race
  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2716497&id=5215641&l=beaf25376c
  
  
• Photos of the high school boys' race
  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2716654&id=5215641&l=1c0336205a
  
  
• Results at FLRunners.com
  http://fl.milesplit.us/meets/56767
  
  
• Whose birthday is today?
  http://runningbirthdays.blogspot.com/