Prince and Smoot lead the charge to fund VMS cross country

During the nine days of 10-18 August 2013, the United States would be represented at the World Track and Field Championships in Moscow by its finest athletes. Most if not all of those athletes came up through college cross-country and track-and-field programs. It's the rare college athlete who wasn't first nurtured in a high school program. And some of the best high school competitors got their start on a team in their middle school.


That's the ladder of development that exists for American athletics. Jesse Prince is a scholar, an athlete, and a leader. He's also a senior on the Valdosta State University cross-country team, which puts him on the collegiate rung of that development ladder. On Saturday morning, 10 August 2013, Prince was among a group of 46 runners in Valdosta, Georgia stretching out a hand to athletes down on the middle-school rung of the ladder. They were running in the Valdosta Middle School Cross-Country Boosters 5K, a fund-raiser road race for the VMS cross-country team.


Jesse Prince turned out to be the fastest in that group, running a 16:55 to win the 3.1-mile race. Finishing runner-up behind Prince was Matthew Baun. Baun, who ran 19:32 in the race, has just stepped up to the high school rung and will be competing for Valdosta High School this fall. Kerry Underwood of Ty Ty, Georgia was the third finisher and first master in the race, running 20:37.


Valdosta master runner Alice Smoot was the first female finisher in the race, placing sixth overall in 21:39. Smoot finished nearly 300 meters ahead of the next woman across the line, Valdosta's Elizabeth Smith. Smith ran 22:53, good for ninth overall.


Top Ten Males, 2013 VMS Cross-Country Boosters 5K

1. 16:54.8 ~ Jesse Prince (M, 21) Valdosta, GA
2. 19:31.5 ~ Matthew Baun (M, 14) Valdosta, GA
3. 20:36.8 ~ Kerry Underwood (M, 50) Ty Ty, GA
4. 21:03.5 ~ Tom Grant (M, 36) Valdosta, GA
5. 21:24.6 ~ Tom Phillips (M, 49) Valdosta, GA
6. 22:04.4 ~ Nathan Smith (M, 35) Valdosta, GA
7. 22:51.9 ~ Michael Baun (M, 56) Valdosta, GA
8. 22:59.4 ~ Rob Sheridan (M, 52) Valdosta, GA
9. 23:24.3 ~ Rob McGhin (M, 33) Valdosta, GA
10. 23:35.3 ~ Alan Sanderson (M, 38) Valdosta, GA

Top Ten Females, 2013 VMS Cross-Country Boosters 5K

1. 21:38.3 ~ Alice Smoot (F, 56) Valdosta, GA
2. 22:52.8 ~ Elizabeth Smith (F, 35) Valdosta, GA
3. 23:17.1 ~ Debbie Green (F, 47) Valdosta, GA
4. 24:19.8 ~ Alison Thornhill (F, 33) Valdosta, GA
5. 24:38.9 ~ Makenzee Page (F, 13) Ray City, GA
6. 25:55.7 ~ Heather Kelly (F, 35) Lake Park, GA
7. 26:41.7 ~ Mackenzie Rogers (F, 9) Valdosta, GA
8. 26:46.3 ~ Kristina Singley (F, 34) Valdosta, GA
9. 28:26.0 ~ Tammy Hatton (F, 40) Lakeland, GA
10. 28:33.4 ~ Galen Mirate (F, 58) Valdosta, GA

Links

• Complete results, 2013 Valdosta Middle School Cross-Country Boosters 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AuBsYKIIn3TCdGxfLWw0M1VSSmNLRGJVcXhtQlVOemc
  
  
• What happened at VMS cross country's spring fundraiser race, the Titletown Track Club 5K
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/04/titletown-2013.html
  
  
• Upcoming races in Valdosta and other cities within 100 miles of Tallahassee on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1