D'Aleo, Swigler finish first at the Bay Invitational

On Saturday, 9 September 2017, Huricane Irma, a category five storm, was lurking off the coast of Cuba and threatening to turn north and make a south-to-north tour of the Florida peninsula. Understandably, most folks in Florida spent the day running for cover instead of running cross country. But in Panama City, Florida the sport went on at the sixteenth annual Bay High Cross-Country Invitational. Bleckley County won the high school girls' 5K, while Mosley High senior Ella Swigler took individual honors in the race. In the high school boys' 5K, South Walton won the team title, led by the first-place finish of their sophomore ace, Jacob D'Aleo.


The morning of racing opened at Panama City's Harder's Park with the high school girls' 5K. That event featured a rematch of the duel at the Buccaneer Bash between Arnold frosh Marisa Ashley and Mosley senior Ella Swigler. There, two weeks earlier, Ashley had edged Swigler for the win, 19:53 to 19:57. The two had also raced against each other the following week at the Big Bend Invitational in Tallahassee, where Ashley placed third and Swigler fourth. Unlike the Buccaneer Bash, though, at the Bay Invite Swigler and Ashley were joined up front by South Walton frosh Patasha Bryan, making it a three-way battle for first.

Ella Swigler

This time it was Swigler who came out best crossing the finish line with a 40-meter lead and a winning time of 19:51. Ashley outkicked Bryan for the runner-up spot, 20:00 to 20:01.


At 20:56, fourth place went to Bleckley County sophomore Austin Perez, the first in an avalanche of runners from the Cochran, Georgia school. Perez was joined in the top ten by four other Bleckley County runners--junior Macy Moe (5th, 21:05), frosh Christa Hall (6th, 21:34), junior Sarah Green (8th, 22:50), and frosh Molly Sims (9th, 23:08). Those five athletes tallied a mathematically unbeatable score of 27 for Bleckley County, giving the Royals their first girls' team title at the Bay Invitational since 2013 and their fourth since 2010. South Walton was second with 38 points, and Mosley third with 77 points.


2017 Bay High XC Invitational Team Standings, High School Girls

1. Bleckley County, 27
2. South Walton, 38
3. Mosley, 77
4. Rutherford, 101

Top Ten High School Girls, 2017 Bay High XC Invitational

1. 19:50.38, Ella Swigler (Mosley) 12
2. 19:59.70, Marisa Ashley (Arnold) 9
3. 20:00.35, Patasha Bryan (South Walton) 9
4. 20:55.98, Austin Perez (Bleckley County) 10
5. 21:04.78, Macy Moe (Bleckley County) 11
6. 21:33.69, Christa Hall (Bleckley County) 9
7. 22:19.08, Madison Peele (South Walton) 11
8. 22:49.56, Sarah Green (Bleckley County) 11
9. 23:07.24, Molly Sims (Bleckley County) 9
10. 23:14.70, Aris Short (South Walton) 9

Jacob D'Aleo wasn't at the Bay Invitational in 2016; his South Walton team had raced elsewhere in the Panhandle that day. D'Aleo was certainly at the meet in 2017, though. The South Walton sophomore won the high school boys' 5K by more than 50 meters, clocking a 16:50--the fastest winning time at the Bay Invitational since 2012, when Pace's Brandon Amendt went 16:44. Arnold junior Mason Bennett was second in 17:01, and Bleckley County sophomore Garrett Rogers took third in 17:08.


After D'Aleo, South Walton's next four scorers were senior Connor Norton (5th, 17:16), sophomore Logan Brooks (7th, 17:35), junior Brandon Phillips (8th, 17:38), and junior Jacob Beadle (9th, 18:05). Once Beadle crossed the finish line, South Walton had 30 points and first place in the field of six teams--ending the Bleckley County boys' four-year winning streak. Led by the fourth-place, 20:56 finish of sophomore Austin Perez, Bleckley County was second with 48 points. Arnold took third with 83 points.


Next on the high school cross-country schedule in Bay County is Rutherford's seventh annual Ram Run on Saturday, 16 September 2017. Mosley hosts the ninth annual Dolphin Dash on Saturday, 30 September 2017, and the Bay County Cross-Country Championships are Saturday, 14 October 2017.


2017 Bay High XC Invitational Team Standings, High School Boys

1. South Walton, 30
2. Bleckley County, 48
3. Arnold, 83
4. Rutherford, 105
5. Mosley, 109
6. Bay, 174

Top Ten High School Boys, 2017 Bay High XC Invitational

1. 16:49.36, Jacob D'Aleo (South Walton) 10
2. 17:00.62, Mason Bennett (Arnold) 11
3. 17:07.91, Garrett Rogers (Bleckley County) 10
4. 17:11.59, Blake Turner (Arnold) 12
5. 17:15.16, Connor Norton (South Walton) 12
6. 17:33.57, Jaylen Thigpen (Bleckley County) 11
7. 17:34.56, Logan Brooks (South Walton) 10
8. 17:37.07, Brandon Phillips (South Walton) 11
9. 18:04.53, Jacob Beadle (South Walton) 11
10. 18:12.72, Delrico Pearson (Rutherford) 11

Bay High Cross-Country Invitational team champions, 2008 - 2017
Date	Boys	Girls
18 October 2008	Mosley, 56 points	Wakulla, 55 points
26 September 2009	Fort Walton Beach, 50 points	Fort Walton Beach, 15 points
2 October 2010	Navarre, 38 points	Bleckley County, 29 points
1 October 2011	Meade County, 32 points	Bleckley County, 42 points
6 October 2012	Navarre, 26 points	Navarre, 49 points
14 September 2013	Bleckley County, 33 points	Bleckley County, 22 points
13 September 2014	Bleckley County, 48 points	Niceville, 44 points
12 September 2015	Bleckley County, 21 points	Fort Walton Beach, 17 points
10 September 2016	Bleckley County, 57 points	Maclay, 33 points
9 September 2017	South Walton, 30 points	Bleckley County, 27 points

Bay High Cross-Country Invitational individual champions, 2008 - 2017
Date	Boys	Girls
18 October 2008	17:21, Thomas Heikkinen (Rutherford)	20:13, Holly Stanton (Rocky Bayou)
26 September 2009	16:49, Luc Lawrence (Fort Walton Beach)	20:03, Iolani Scanlan (Fort Walton Beach)
2 October 2010	16:52, Robert Mann (Navarre)	21:17, Melissa Knappel (Crestview)
1 October 2011	16:55, Will Strickland (Meade County)	19:47, Mikayla Hodges (Arnold)
6 October 2012	16:44, Brandon Amendt (Pace)	19:05, Rachel King (Pace)
14 September 2013	18:14, Aaron Jane (Bay)	21:25, Ellen Powell (Bleckley County)
13 September 2014	17:28, Jordan Lance (Arnold)	20:54, Haleigh Martin (Wakulla)
12 September 2015	16:57, Carl Ellis Corley (Bleckley County)	20:05, Maddie Fulmer (Fort Walton
10 September 2016	17:09, Carl Ellis Corley (Bleckley County)	19:24, Haleigh Martin (Wakulla)
9 September 2017	16:50, Jacob D'Aleo (South Walton) 10	19:51, Ella Swigler (Mosley) 12

Links

• Complete results of the 2017 Bay High XC Invitational, courtesy of Miles and Minutes, LLC
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vS1fkQR8k634u9tyeh1lTFSy1yhp317axs_iMescdCNf9O5H2IFPS_12T--hY59_HZte5DobNK7HRQF/pubhtml
  
  
• 2016 story, “Carl Corley and Haleigh Martin repeat at the Bay Invitational”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/09/bay-xc-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Vikings and Royals rule at the Bay Invitational”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/09/bay-xc-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Jordan Lance and Haleigh Martin run truly fast at Bay Invitational”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/09/bay-xc-2014.html
  
  
• More high school athletics coverage at Trouble Afoot!
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/high%20school
  
  
• Find more upcoming races in the region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2071

Mosley Dolphins Mines and Swigler repeat at Strides For Scholars

Once you've won a race, what do you do for an encore?


That was Ethan Mines' problem on Saturday morning, 27 February 2016, at the Strides For Scholars 5K in Panama City, Florida. The Mosley High senior had already won the 2015 edition of the annual race. How do you improve on that? Mines' solution was to not only win the race again, but to also set a new event record of 16:19, breaking the old record of 16:38 set by Jordan Lance in 2013.


Mosley sophomore Ella Swigler came to the starting line with a similar problem; she had won the Strides For Scholars 5K women's title in 2014 and 2015. However, Swigler had already set the women's record for the event, a 19:35 she ran in her first win in 2014. So at the 2016 race, Swigler settled for chalking up her third win in a row in the women's division, placing seventh overall in 21:28.


Mosley wasn't the only Bay County school represented in the 5K. Rutherford High senior Corey Pilson finished second overall, running 17:44. The 3.1-mile race wasn't limited to high school athletes, either. Tracey Burch proved that; the Panama City master runner was third overall in 18:46.


Mosley High senior Erin France edged Kim Allan 23:40 to 23:42 for second in the women's standings; the two athletes placed 17th and 18th overall. Allan was the top woman master in the race.


333 athletes finished the 2016 Strides For Scholars 5K, with another 14 completing a one-mile fun run. The event raises funds to benefit the Take Stock In Children scholarship and mentoring program for local children. The next Strides For Scholars is scheduled for Saturday morning, 25 February 2017.


Top Ten Men, 2016 Strides For Scholars 5K

1. 16:19 ~ Ethan Mines (M, Open)
2. 17:44 ~ Corey Pilson (M, 15–19)
3. 18:46 ~ Tracey Burch (M, 45–49)
4. 20:47 ~ Ivan DeLaCruz (M, 10–14)
5. 20:52 ~ Jared Sylvester (M, 15–19)
6. 21:12 ~ Alan Swigler (M, 60–64)
7. 21:31 ~ Tyson Marlow (M, 15–19)
8. 21:50 ~ Mike Barr (M, 55–59)
9. 22:22 ~ Nicolas Waddell (M, 10–14)
10. 22:45 ~ Nicholas Musser (M, 15–19)

Top Ten Women, 2016 Strides For Scholars 5K

1. 21:28 ~ Ella Swigler (F, Open)
2. 23:40 ~ Erin France (F, 15–19)
3. 23:42 ~ Kim Allan (F, 45–49)
4. 23:52 ~ Savannah Suggs (F, 15–19)
5. 24:14 ~ Jeanette Swigler (F, 45–49)
6. 25:42 ~ Sue Cottrill (F, 50–54)
7. 25:59 ~ Debbie Chitwood (F, 45–49)
8. 26:23 ~ Krystal Sheeran (F, 30–34)
9. 26:42 ~ Pam Owen (F, 55–59)
10. 26:52 ~ Ann Talkington (F, 50–54)

Strides For Scholars 5K winners, 2012 - 2016
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
25 February 2012	17:44, Slade Ward	21:36, Katie Carroll	356
23 February 2013	16:38, Jordan Lance	24:36, Kathryn Underall	208
15 February 2014	18:28, Corey Pilson	19:35, Ella Swigler	307
28 February 2015	16:55, Ethan Mines	20:54, Ella Swigler	411
27 February 2016	16:19, Ethan Mines	21:28, Ella Swigler	333

Links

• Complete results of Bay Education Foundation's 2016 Strides For Scholars 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dDGDjQCgeLIRlsS9eZe8i4q7bzGBcJUj-zAbuIzCsrg/pubhtml
  
  
• 2015 story, “Mosley Dolphins Mines and Swigler do some fast striding at Strides For Scholars”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/03/strides-for-scholars-2015.html
  
  
• Bay Education Foundation
  http://www.bayeducationfoundation.org/
  
  
• Find upcoming races benefiting education and other causes on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1628

Mosley Dolphins Mines and Swigler do some fast striding at Strides For Scholars

In road racing, you should be safe from competition from high school distance runners during track season, right? Well, don't bet on it. February may be high school track season in Florida, but Mosley High athletes Ethan Mines and Ella Swigler were at the fourth annual Strides For Scholars 5K in Panama City, Florida, on Saturday morning, 28 February 2015. Mines, a junior for the Dolphins, won the race in 16:55. Swigler, a frosh, was the first female finisher, coming in fifth overall in 20:54. Maybe Mines and Swigler just love learning--the race was a benefit for the Bay Education Foundation, an organization promoting excellence in public education in Bay County, Florida.


Mines won the race by more than half a kilometer. His time of 16:55 was just off the course record of 16:37, set by Jordan Lance as an Arnold High sophomore in 2013. Master runner Tracey Burch took second in 19:08, and Mosley junior Jared Sylvester was third in 19:42. Master runner Timothy Loomis took fourth in 20:26.


On the women's side, Ella Swigler already had the event record, a 19:35 that she had run in the 2014 Strides For Scholars 5K. Swigler's 20:54 in the 2015 race was good enough to put her more than 600 meters ahead of the next woman finisher and successfully defend her title. Ashley French was second in the women's standings, finishing 23rd overall in 24:06. The top woman master runner in the race was Sharon Westfall-Loomis, the fifth female finisher and 29th overall in 25:11.


411 athletes finished the 2015 Strides For Scholars 5K, the most in the four-year history of the annual race.


Top Ten Men, 2015 Strides For Scholars 5K

1. 16:55 ~ Ethan Mines (M, 15-19)
2. 19:08 ~ Tracey Burch (M, 45-49)
3. 19:42 ~ Jared Sylvester (M, 15-19)
4. 20:26 ~ Timothy Loomis (M, 45-49)
5. 21:03 ~ Alan Swigler (M, 60-64)
6. 21:20 ~ Todd Brister (M, 35-39)
7. 21:28 ~ Doug Smith (M, 50-54)
8. 21:40 ~ Gabriel Nunez (M, 15-19)
9. 21:46 ~ Deshon Johnson (M, 15-19)
10. 21:55 ~ Brad Breeden (M, 25-29)

Top Ten Women, 2015 Strides For Scholars 5K

1. 20:54 ~ Ella Swigler (F, 15-19)
2. 24:06 ~ Ashley French (F, 30-34)
3. 24:19 ~ Michelle Waldrip (F, 30-34)
4. 24:48 ~ April Hantzis (F, 30-34)
5. 25:11 ~ Sharon Westfall-Loomis (F, 45-49)
6. 25:12 ~ Gabrielle Krajniak (F, 15-19)
7. 25:23 ~ Tyra Williams (F, 15-19)
8. 26:17 ~ Sandi Lang (F, 50-54)
9. 26:35 ~ Madison Harbuck (F, 15-19)
10. 26:36 ~ Lori Hast (F, 45-49)

Strides For Scholars 5K winners, 2012 - 2015
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
25 February 2012	17:44, Slade Ward	21:36, Katie Carroll	356
23 February 2013	16:38, Jordan Lance	24:36, Kathryn Underall	208
15 February 2014	18:28, Corey Pilson	19:35, Ella Swigler	307
28 February 2015	16:55, Ethan Mines	20:54, Ella Swigler	411

Links

• Complete results of Bay Education Foundation's 2015 Strides For Scholars 5K
  http://www.bayeducationfoundation.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=PKqb6sp7x4c%3d&tabid=118&mid=586
  
  
• “Mosley with the clean sweep! Overall 5k winners Ethan Mines and Ella Swigler beat out 200 other runners!”
  https://twitter.com/MosleyTrack/status/571706886275371008
  
  
• Bay Education Foundation
  http://www.bayeducationfoundation.org/
  
  
• Find upcoming races benefiting education and other causes on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1336