Chiles sweeps, Phillips repeats, and Funderburk sets a record at the Cougar Challenge

In 2016, Lincoln High frosh Alyson Churchill won the high school girls' 5K at Cougar Cross-Country Challenge, then went on to win the FHSAA state cross-country title for class 3A girls. Additionally, Chiles High junior Michael Phillips won the Cougar Challenge high school boys' 5K that same year, and went on to win the FHSAA state cross-country title for class 3A boys. You might think that's an anomaly, but Joe Franklin, Patrick Swain, and Sukhi Khosla also won state titles in Florida after victories in the Cougar Challenge. In the ten-year history of the meet, that's a lot of state champions. Maybe the Cougar Challenge is a stepping-stone to victory in the State Final, and Florida's athletes should be making pilgrimages to Tallahassee's Phipps Park each autumn to compete in the Challenge. Or maybe Tallahassee just has produced a lot of great cross-country runners, many who have raced in the Cougar Challenge.

Elizabeth Funderburk

In 2017, though, don't look for the Cougar Challenge high school girls' 5K winner to take any state titles in Florida. On Saturday morning, 26 August 2017, that race was won by a Moultrie, Georgia athlete, Colquitt County High senior Elizabeth Funderburk. Funderburk cruised up and down the Phipps Park hills in a girls' meet record of 18:29, besting a field of 182 athletes. Come November, though, Funderburk will be competing for a state title on the Carrollton High course in Carrollton, Georgia instead of racing for a Florida crown at Apalachee Regional Park. The Cougar Challenge just might produce a Florida title in 2017, though. Defending state champ Michael Phillips won the boys' 5K at the Challenge for the second year in a row, running 16:42.

Michael Phillips

The girls' 5K started a few minutes after 8:00 AM. Most of the first kilometer was downhill, encouraging a stiff early pace. Gravity didn't help anyone keep up with Funderburk, though. The Colquitt County High senior had already broken contact with the field by the end of the first kilometer. In addition to the long downhill, the runners also had to negotiate two major uphills. Up or down, Funderburk kept widening the gap. Eventually she was not only out of reach of the other competitors, but out of sight as well. Chiles senior Ana Wallace placed second in the race, running 19:37.


"It was a fast start, so it really hurt me," recalled Wallace. "And of course that last will was killer. I didn't really have anyone to run with because Elizabeth got away from me at the start."

Chiles High girls' cross-country team

Wallace's teammate Emily Culley finished third, giving the Chiles girls a strong start in the team scoring. However, West Florida Tech put four runners in the top twenty--sophomore Skylar Grant (9th, 22:01), juniors Mallory Mott (10th, 22:03) and Maria Areola (11th, 22:06), and sophomore Ale'jandra Gilley (17th, 22:46). Chiles third and fourth runners were sophomore Emily Molen (14th, 22:41) and frosh Brooke Waldal (27th, 23:12). West Florida Tech held a one-point advantage while the teams waited for their fifth scorers. Those final scorers were Chiles senior Shealyn Sullivan (38th, 24:20) and West Florida Tech sophomore Alana Gaynor (45th, 24:55), giving Chiles 80 points and victory. West Florida Tech was second with 86 points. Led by sophomore Elizabeth Calabro (8th, 22:00), Leon High was a close third with 88 points.


Team Standings, High School Girls, 2017 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge

1. Chiles, 80
2. West Florida Tech, 86
3. Leon, 88
4. Lincoln, 127
5. Maclay, 152
6. Deerfield Windsor, 182
7. Southland, 189
8. Valwood, 198
9. Suwannee, 284
10. Bainbridge, 296
11. Tift County, 297
12. Community Christian, 336
13. Thomas County Central, 337
14. Colquitt County, 339
15. Wakulla, 376
16. Lowndes, 379
17. Franklin County, 495
18. John Paul II Catholic, 503
19. Brookwood, 553

Top Ten High School Girls, 2017 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge

1. 18:28.70, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 12
2. 19:36.71, Ana Wallace (Chiles) 12
3. 20:13.08, Emily Culley (Chiles) 11
4. 20:51.37, Hannah Spooneybarger (Gulf Breeze) 11
5. 21:29.96, Emily Golden (Tift County) 10
6. 21:46.89, Charlotte Augenstein (Deerfield-Windsor) 10
7. 21:57.70, Megan Churchill (Lincoln) 10
8. 21:59.97, Elizabeth Calabro (Leon) 10
9. 22:00.93, Skylar Grant (West Florida Tech) 10
10. 22:02.43, Mallory Mott (West Florida Tech) 11

The runners in the boys' 5K were every bit as anxious as those in the girls' 5K to dash down the first kilometer of downhill running. The leaders went by the mile mark in 5:05, a pace that none of them maintained for the rest of the race. But while everyone in the boys' 5K slowed up, Michael Phillips slowed up least. The Chiles senior took charge, racing to a 16:42 win. Chiles senior Matthew Newland was second in 16:53, and Lincoln senior Clayton Carlson took third in 17:24.

Chiles High boys' cross-country team

Phillips and Newland were joined in the top ten by the rest of the Chiles scorers--senior Robert Nowak (4th, 17:34), junior Connor Phillips (6th, 17:47), and junior Clayburn Milford (10th, 18:00). Those five scored a mathematically unbeatable 23 points, and the Chiles boys won the team title for the second year in a row. Behind the eighth-place finish of sophomore Porter Hill, Deerfield-Windsor edged Lincoln for second in the team standings, 123 to 124. Leon was a close fourth with 126, led by sophomore Joseph Ashebo (15th, 18:32).


Team Standings, High School Boys, 2017 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge

1. Chiles, 23
2. Deerfield Windsor, 123
3. Lincoln, 124
4. Leon, 126
5. West Florida Tech, 151
6. Lowndes, 173
7. Wakulla, 178
8. Maclay, 244
9. Tift County, 270
10. Bainbridge, 300
11. Suwannee, 309
12. Rickards, 318
13. Colquitt County, 346
14. John Paul II Catholic, 383
15. Thomas County Central, 393
16. Grace Christian, 419
17. Southland, 477
18. Franklin County, 512
19. Wakulla Christian, 530
20. Jefferson County, 551

Top Ten High School Boys, 2017 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge

1. 16:41.70, Michael Phillips (Chiles) 12
2. 16:52.26, Matthew Newland (Chiles) 12
3. 17:23.25, Clayton Carlson (Lincoln) 12
4. 17:33.38, Robert Nowak (Chiles) 12
5. 17:39.72, Brishen House (Lowndes) 12
6. 17:46.02, Connor Phillips (Chiles) 11
7. 17:54.05, Micah Hilliard (Suwannee) 12
8. 17:55.70, Porter Hill (Deerfield-Windsor) 10
9. 17:56.13, Ethan Merritt (Deerfield-Windsor) 12
10. 17:59.05, Clayburn Milford (Chiles) 11

Cougar Cross Country Challenge High School Winners 2006 - 2017
Girls
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
16 September 2006	Maclay, 23	20:44, Laura Hempel (Rickards)
10 September 2007	Maclay, 18	20:36, Jana Stolting (Maclay)
15 September 2008	Maclay, 39	20:18, Jana Stolting (Maclay)
14 September 2009	Maclay, 43	21:05, Stefanie Kurgatt (Maclay)
2 October 2010	West Florida Tech, 27	19:23, Stefanie Kurgatt (Maclay)
8 October 2011	Lincoln, 49	21:16, Savana Osterbye (FSUS)
2012	No meet held in 2012
31 August 2013	Leon, 27	20:35, Madison Harris (Wakulla)
6 September 2014	Leon, 44	21:09, Haleigh Martin (Wakulla)
29 August 2015	Fort Walton Beach, 24	21:16, Caroline Willis (Maclay)
27 August 2016	Chiles, 40	18:47, Alyson Churchill (Lincoln)
26 August 2017	Chiles, 80	18:29, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County)
Boys
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
16 September 2006	Lincoln, 42	16:56, Joseph Franklin (Godby)
10 September 2007	Maclay, 23	17:18, Whitney Strickland (NFCS)
15 September 2008	Niceville, 36	17:02, Whitney Strickland (NFCS)
14 September 2009	Maclay, 47	17:27, Patrick Swain (Maclay)
2 October 2010	Lincoln, 52	16:10, Jacob Slupecki (Lincoln)
8 October 2011	Lincoln, 63	16:55, Stanley Linton (Wakulla)
2012	No meet held in 2012
31 August 2013	Leon, 34	16:47, Sukhi Khosla (Leon)
6 September 2014	Leon, 15	16:42, Sukhi Khosla (Leon)
29 August 2015	Leon, 52	16:38, Adam Wallenfelsz (Leon)
27 August 2016	Chiles, 32	16:44, Michael Phillips (Chiles)
26 August 2017	Chiles, 23	16:42, Michael Phillips (Chiles)

The middle school athletes raced three kilometers at the Cougar Challenge, only enough distance for one trip downhill to the Lake Jackson basin and trip back uphill. Tift eighth-grader Ainsley Toews was the fastest on those slopes in the girls' race, running 13:06 and winning by well over 100 meters. Another Tift runner, seventh-grader Laura Kate Wright, grabbed the runner-up spot in 13:38, while Holy Comforter eighth-grader Sophia Umana took third in 13:43.

Ainsley Toews

Tift took three of the next four places, with seventh-grader Hannah Larger fourth in 13:52, seventh-grader Madeline Perrin fifth in the same time, and sixth-grader Amanda Tovar seventh in 14:01. Once Tovar crossed the finish line, Tift had a near-perfect 18 points and first place in the team standings. Holy Comforter, the 2016 team champs, was second with 49 points. Led by sixth-grader Samantha Jennings (12th, 14:51), Thomas County scored 83 points to place third in the eight-team field.


Team Standings, Middle School Girls, 2017 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge

1. Tift, 18
2. Holy Comforter, 49
3. Thomas County, 83
4. Southland, 104
5. Wakulla, 158
6. Riversprings, 174
7. Brookwood, 191
8. Community Leadership, 220

Top Ten Middle School Girls, 2017 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge

1. 13:05.43, Ainsley Toews (Tift) 8
2. 13:37.20, Laura Kate Wright (Tift) 7
3. 13:42.75, Sophia Umana (Holy Comforter) 8
4. 13:51.13, Hannah Larger (Tift) 7
5. 13:51.53, Madeline Perrin (Tift) 7
6. 14:00.00, Ryland Bland (Bainbridge) 7
7. 14:00.60, Amanda Tovar (Tift) 6
8. 14:04.20, Camille Resavage (Holy Comforter) 7
9. 14:06.79, Alexandria Vaughan (Tift) 8
10. 14:19.02, Liliana Lewis (Wakulla) 7

In the middle school boys' 3K, Fairview sixth-grader Patrick Koon was racing in Phipps Park for the second Saturday in a row. The previous weekend, Koon had won the Miller Landing Madness 3K in the park. The Cougar Challenge 3K, though, was a different race on a different course.

Patrick Koon

"It was worse than last week," said Koon. "I was hilly. The competition was good. It wasn't just Leon County schools."


Handing the hills and the competition, Koon won the race in 11:06. Case Gregory, a Colquitt County eighth-grader, was second in 11:19. Holy Comforter eighth-grader Leo Kelly was third in 11:34.

Holy Comforter boys' cross-country team

After Kelly, Holy Comforter's next four scorers were eighth-grader Jackson Yarbrough (8th, 12:27), seventh-grader Jack Dessi (14th, 12:56), sixth-grader Will Winsor (15th, 12:56), and sixth-grader Matthew Wilbourn (20th, 13:03). Those five runners gave Holy Comforter 55 points, good enough to successfully defend their 2016 Cougar Challenge title. Colquitt County was second out of eleven teams with 77 points. Led by the seventh-place, 12:23 finish of eighth-grader Alex Cardoso, Tift was third with 93 points.


Team Standings, Middle School Boys, 2017 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge

1. Holy Comforter, 55
2. Colquitt County, 77
3. Tift, 93
4. Bainbridge, 111
5. Maclay, 135
6. Southland, 158
7. Fairview, 161
8. Thomas County, 171
9. Community Leadership, 206
10. Whigham, 250
11. Christ Classical, 281

Top Ten Middle School Boys, 2017 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge

1. 11:05.23, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 6
2. 11:18.20, Case Gregory (Colquitt County) 8
3. 11:33.95, Leo Kelly (Holy Comforter) 8
4. 11:52.62, Tanner Humphrey (Southland) 8
5. 12:08.32, Hayes Lightsey (Colquitt County) 8
6. 12:14.46, Jack Saussy (Brookwood) 8
7. 12:22.11, Alex Cardoso (Tift) 8
8. 12:26.30, Jackson Yarbrough (Holy Comforter) 8
9. 12:28.14, Blair Golden (Tift) 6
10. 12:31.71, Aide Van Iddekinge (Maclay) 7

Links

• Complete results of the 2017 Godby Cougar Cross-Country Challenge
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT3CtgiS7qd10IzvxdWWS5VdXGqshg5UqXAfTcP8uo9d0E4cMvWnUR2QHSnY6XvETwac83pdn9mI1kW/pubhtml
  
  
• More photos of the 2017 Cougar Cross Country Challenge
  
  • HS Girls:https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10110430146334983.1073742295.5215641&type=1&l=e0696720e8
    
  • HS Boys: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10110431657501593.1073742296.5215641&type=1&l=83b76ff17d
    
  • MS Girls:https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10110432963669023.1073742297.5215641&type=1&l=5cb26fe5e5
    
  • MS Boys: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10110433372275173.1073742298.5215641&type=1&l=7c50e27091
    
  
  
• Fred Deckert's photos of the 2017 Cougar Cross Country Challenge
  https://plus.google.com/photos/112560881455823075870/album/6458668563286301137
  
  
• 2016 story, “Alyson Churchill meets the Challenge, runs 18:47”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/08/cougar-xc-2016.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Leon and Khosla repeat at Cougar Challenge”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/09/cougar-xc-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Harris and Khosla take on all challengers at the Challenge”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/09/cougar-xc-2013.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “The 2010 Cougar Challenge belongs to Kurgatt and Slupecki”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/10/cougar-xc-2010.html
  
  
• 2009 story, “Cougar Challenge opens cross-country season in Tallahassee”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/09/cougar-challenge-opens-cross-country.html
  
  
• Choose an upcoming race in the region from the selection on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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