Sunday, September 11, 2016

Wolfenden and Funderburk repeat at Lee County High Invite

The focal point for high school cross country in Southwest Georgia on Saturday, 10 September 2016, was Leesburg, where the local high school was hosting the Lee County High Invitational. Americus, Georgia's Southland Academy won the team title in the girls' 5K race, a race where Colquitt County junior Elizabeth Funderburk dominated the individual competition, running 18:34. The Valdosta High boys won their race, while Lowndes High senior Kaleb Wolfenden ran 16:22 to successfully defend his 2015 Lee County High Invitational title.


The high school girls' 5K was scheduled for 8:30 AM. Elizabeth Funderburk had won the race in 2014, but finished second to Jones County's Kate Boland in 2015. Funderburk came to the starting line in 2016 determined to recapture the title. She did, and then some. Funderburk blazed the course in 18:34, winning the five-kilometer race by almost half a kilometer. Alli Hay, a senior running for Pataula Charter School, was runner-up in 20:23. Tift County frosh Emily Golden took third in 20:46.


Team Standings, High School Girls, 2016 Lee County High Invitational
  1. Southland, 67
  2. Tift County, 88
  3. Lee County, 92
  4. Westover, 161
  5. Thomas County Central, 166
  6. Colquitt County, 180
  7. Worth County, 182
  8. Valdosta, 185
  9. Lowndes, 195
  10. Bainbridge, 205
  11. Coffee, 233
  12. Fitzgerald, 268
  13. Pelham, 307
  14. Americus-Sumter, 437

Top Ten High School Girls, 2016 Lee County High Invitational
  1. 18:33.42 ~ Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 11
  2. 20:22.94 ~ Alli Hay (Pataula Charter) 12
  3. 20:45.92 ~ Emily Golden (Tift County) 9
  4. 21:57.11 ~ Monica Webb (Pelham) 12
  5. 22:03.57 ~ Katelyn Lancaster (Valdosta) 9
  6. 22:15.50 ~ Riley O'Linn (Valwood) 11
  7. 22:27.30 ~ Ryleigh Bell (Southland) 9
  8. 22:29.37 ~ Ansley Cain (Lee County) 12
  9. 22:35.58 ~ Calyn Fort (Southland) 10
  10. 22:56.24 ~ Savyon Toombs (Lowndes) 12

Did Elizabeth Funderburk establish a theme for the morning? Winners with long leads? If so, Lowndes senior Kaleb Wolfenden was quick to adopt that theme. Wolfenden successfully defended his 2015 title in the high school boys' 5K, winning by close to 400 meters in 16:22. Colby Jones of Lee County squeaked by Lowndes' Brishen House to take second, 17:47 to 17:49.


Lowndes also put a third runner in the top ten, Daniel Swilley, who was seventh in 18:15. Their cross-town rivals, the Valdosta Wildcats, had but a single top-ten finisher, Matthew Baun (5th, 18:00). But while the Lowndes Vikings were waiting for their fourth runner, Valdosta brought home the rest of their scorers and one of their pushers--Ladarius Dumas (13th, 19:00), Noah Richards (14th, 19:03), Francisco Centeno (15th, 19:18), Will Crispin (16th, 19:22), and Deshon Taylor (19th, 19:33). The Wildcats had 63 points and the win, while Lowndes was second with 76. Lee County was third in the field of twenty teams with 103 points.


Team Standings, High School Boys, 2016 Lee County High Invitational
  1. Valdosta, 63
  2. Lowndes, 76
  3. Lee County, 103
  4. Bainbridge, 152
  5. Seminole County, 165
  6. Coffee, 170
  7. Tift County, 177
  8. Thomas County Central, 221
  9. Southland, 260
  10. Westover, 268
  11. Terrell County, 277
  12. Bradwell, 308
  13. Worth County, 311
  14. Colquitt County, 327
  15. Fitzgerald, 429
  16. Furlow Charter, 479
  17. Brookwood, 481
  18. Americus-Sumter, 518
  19. Pelham, 554
  20. Thomasville, 555

Top Ten High School Boys, 2016 Lee County High Invitational
  1. 16:21.50 ~ Kaleb Wolfenden (Lowndes) 12
  2. 17:46.60 ~ Colby Jones (Lee County) 11
  3. 17:48.80 ~ Brishen House (Lowndes) 11
  4. 17:55.90 ~ Henry Plowden (Westover) 9
  5. 17:59.90 ~ Matthew Baun (Valdosta) 12
  6. 18:00.20 ~ Billy Calcutt (Southland) 12
  7. 18:14.30 ~ Daniel Swilley (Lowndes) 12
  8. 18:20.20 ~ Jake Merritt (Colquitt County) 11
  9. 18:28.80 ~ Hunter Hatfield (Lee County) 11
  10. 18:30.50 ~ Dustin Reynolds (Seminole County) 12

After the high school races came the middle school girls' two mile. The sole entry from Coffee Middle School, eighth-grader Gracie Woods, won the race in 13:20. Jadie Burrell of Southland Academy took second in 13:38, with Anna James of Thomas County third in 13:44.


Valwood had three runners in the top ten--Madeline Castor was fourth in 13:50, Brenna Clark fifth in 13:55, and Jolie Green eighth in 14:25. Southland Academy, though, put Elizabeth Law (10th, 14:29), Reese Roland (12th, 14:33), and Georgia Torbert (13th, 14:41) across the finish line ahead of Valwood's fourth runner, and Brooke Wiesner (21st, 15:53) in front of Valwood's fifth. It was enough to give Southland 52 points and the team title, just ahead Valwood's second-place total of 59. Tift was third with 83.


Team Standings, Middle School Girls, 2016 Lee County High Invitational
  1. Southland, 52
  2. Valwood, 59
  3. Tift, 83
  4. Lee County, 93
  5. Valdosta, 133
  6. Pataula Charter, 192
  7. Thomas County, 203
  8. Bainbridge, 209
  9. Colquitt County, 239
  10. Seminole County, 268
  11. Ben-Hill, 293
  12. Worth County, 320
  13. Furlow Charter, 326

Top Ten Middle School Girls, 2016 Lee County High Invitational
  1. 13:19.88 ~ Gracie Woods (Coffee) 8
  2. 13:37.99 ~ Jadie Burrell (Southland) 7
  3. 13:43.77 ~ Anna James (Thomas County) 8
  4. 13:49.76 ~ Madeline Castor (Valwood) 8
  5. 13:54.55 ~ Brenna Clark (Valwood) 8
  6. 14:01.25 ~ Maya Wynn (Furlow Charter) 8
  7. 14:19.74 ~ Emily Phillips (Lee County) 7
  8. 14:24.31 ~ Jolie Green (Valwood) 8
  9. 14:25.31 ~ Ainsley Toews (Tift) 7
  10. 14:28.52 ~ Elizabeth Law (Southland) 7

Tift eighth-grader J. D. Bengston won the middle school boys' two mile in 11:39, finishing ahead of runner-up Josh Macklin of Lee County by a convincing if not comfortable margin. Macklin ran the course in 11:43. Cameron Watson of Coffee was third in 11:49.


Bengston was joined by Tift scorers Beau Bengston (4th, 12:03), Bryce Stephens (5th, 12:08), Jeremiah Thomas (8th, 12:44), and Zayne Smith (36th, 14:38), giving the team 48 points. Lee County, however, added Macklin's finish to that of Alex Collins (9th, 12:50), Seth Tomlinson (11th, 12:59), Wyatt Waddell (13th, 13:11), and Will Tomlinson (17th, 13:29), also scoring 48 points. Apparently, the NFHS tie-breaker rule was used, and the sixth runner on each team was compared. Lee County's sixth, Will Tomlinson (17th, 13:29), was faster than Tift's sixth, so Lee County was the meet champion, and Tift the runner-up. Valdosta was third with 114 points.


Team Standings, Middle School Boys, 2016 Lee County High Invitational
  1. Lee County, 48
  2. Tift, 48
  3. Valdosta, 114
  4. MacIntyre Park, 137
  5. Bainbridge, 165
  6. Brookwood, 197
  7. Worth County, 209
  8. Thomas County, 219
  9. Colquitt County, 224
  10. Ben-Hill, 232
  11. Pataula Charter, 280
  12. Southland, 297
  13. Furlow Charter, 345
  14. Seminole County, 346

Top Ten Middle School Boys, 2016 Lee County High Invitational
  1. 11:38.27 ~ J.D. Bengston (Tift) 8
  2. 11:42.40 ~ Josh Macklin (Lee County) 7
  3. 11:48.06 ~ Cameron Watson (Coffee) 8
  4. 12:02.37 ~ Beau Bengston (Tift) 8
  5. 12:07.23 ~ Bryce Stephens (Tift) 8
  6. 12:15.06 ~ Lawson Brinkley (MacIntyre Park) 8
  7. 12:42.38 ~ Max Foster (Southland) 8
  8. 12:43.32 ~ Jeremiah Thomas (Tift) 8
  9. 12:49.21 ~ Alex Collins (Lee County) 7
  10. 12:50.14 ~ Parker Jackson (Valdosta) 7

Lee County High School Cross-Country Invitational Champions
2008 - 2016
High School Girls 5K
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
13 September 2008Westover, 28 points20:34, Moneque English (Westover)
12 September 2009Westover, 3218:27, Megan Breitbach (Houston County)
11 September 2010

10 September 2011Thomasville, 5320:31, Megan Asadian (Houston County)
8 September 2012Thomasville, 7223:16, Erica Taylor (Westover)
21 September 2013Jones County, 7820:26, Paige Braswell (Bainbridge)
13 September 2014Jones County, 6119:33, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County)
12 September 2015Jones County, 2920:43, Kate Boland (Jones County)
10 September 2016Southland, 6718:34, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County)
High School Boys 5K
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
13 September 2008Tift County, 51 points16:27, Hunter Hunneycutt (Tift County)
12 September 2009Houston County, 2516:45, Kasib Abdullah (Houston County)
11 September 2010

10 September 2011Tift County, 7315:38, Hunter Honeycutt (Tift County)
8 September 2012Westover, 5718:51, Josh Mason (Westover)
21 September 2013Bainbridge, 6116:04, Chase Harris (Bainbridge)
13 September 2014Westover, 3817:46, Matthew Baun (Valdosta)
12 September 2015Lowndes, 5217:42, Kaleb Wolfenden (Lowndes)
10 September 2016Valdosta, 6316:22, Kaleb Wolfenden (Lowndes)


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Posted by Herb Wills at 3:19 AM
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