Junior Olympians raced for Region 4 titles at Apalachee Regional Park Cross-Country Course

More than 500 athletes came to Tallahassee, Florida's Apalachee Regional Park on Saturday morning, 23 November 2019. They came from Florida, from Georgia, and from South Carolina to compete in one of ten races of the 2019 USATF Region 4 Junior Olympic Cross-Country Championship Meet. Berths in the USATF Junior Olympic Cross-Country National Championship Meet in Madison, Wisconsin on 14 December 2019 were at stake. They could earn the spot by being in the top 30 in their race, or by being on a team that placed in the top five. It was the second time that Apalachee Regional Park had hosted the Region 4 meet; ARPXC had also been the venue in 2016.


9:00 AM ET, 8 & Under Girls' 2K

The youngest girls raced first; the eight-and-under girls' 2K started at 9:00 AM. It was sunny and cool but not cold, much milder than what the athletes would have to look forward to in Madison. Mount Pleasant TC's Savannah Hislop, defending her 2018 Region 4 title, was already leading the field at the 500-meter mark. 1500 meters later, Hislop crossed the finish line first in 8:28.58, making it two years in a row of Region wins for the South Carolina harrier. Led by Hislop's win, Mount Pleasant placed first in the team standings for the third year in a row.

Savannah Hislop

Top Ten Athletes, 8 & Under Girls' 2K

1. 8:28.58, Savannah Hislop (Mount Pleasant Track Club)
2. 8:42.43, Alonna Timmons (Unattached)
3. 9:03.33, Siena D'Agostino (Mount Pleasant Track Club)
4. 9:05.83, Reese Vagedes (Lassiter Junior CC & Track)
5. 9:06.16, Angelica Wolfe (Central Florida)
6. 9:09.37, Lucy Baxter (Mount Pleasant Track Club)
7. 9:23.92, Gemma Baskin (Unattached)
8. 9:39.85, Scarlett Miedema (Lexington County Wildcats)
9. 9:42.46, Ronel St Germain (City of Charleston Swamp Foxes)
10. 9:43.81, Meena Corse (Dekalb Trailblazers)

9:30 AM ET, 8 & Under Boys' 2K

Miles Tonelis picked up the second individual title of the morning for Mount Pleasant Track Club, winning the eight-and-under boys' 2K in 7:39.73. In the team standings, Mount Pleasant boys took first for their fourth straight region title.

Miles Tonelis

Top Ten Athletes, 8 & Under Boys' 2K

1. 7:39.73, Miles Tonelis (Mount Pleasant Track Club)
2. 7:48.88, Dylan Johnson (Mount Pleasant Track Club)
3. 8:03.94, Ryder Kotz (Mount Pleasant Track Club)
4. 8:12.83, Kyle Sewczwicz (River Ridge Youth Track Club)
5. 8:20.98, Caleb Dubois (Jefferson Parks & Recreation)
6. 8:25.53, Vincent Cote (Mount Pleasant Track Club)
7. 8:26.22, Matthew Sanders (Dekalb Trailblazers)
8. 8:39.82, Eli Hines (City of Charleston Swamp Foxes)
9. 8:43.58, Grant Heinrich (Lassiter Junior CC & Track)
10. 8:46.79, Maximus Boon (Peachtree City Flash)

10:00 AM ET, 9-10 Girls' 3K

The girls' 3K was the first race of the morning where the runners had to race up the Wall. That hill was still a couple of kilometers ahead when Julia Betton and Julia Goldman led the field through the first 500 meters of the race. After cresting the Wall, it was Betton--running for Marietta, Georgia' Walton Youth Track Club--who led everyone over the finish line, winning the race in 11:59.32. Mount Pleasant claimed the team title with a mathematically unbeatable 22 points.

Julia Betton

Top Ten Athletes, 9-10 Girls' 3K

1. 11:59.32, Julia Betton (Walton Youth Track Club)
2. 12:02.08, Claire Reburn (Central Florida)
3. 12:08.40, Tabitha Hewitt (Mount Pleasant Track Club)
4. 12:14.17, Julia Goldman (Mount Pleasant Track Club)
5. 12:23.12, Ella Alberici (Alpha Crush Running Club)
6. 12:27.90, Genevieve McKinley (Etowah Youth Track Club)
7. 12:31.06, Andi McQuade (Peachtree City Flash)
8. 12:33.20, Isabella Pacheco (Unattached)
9. 12:35.94, Sophia Lee (Mount Pleasant Track Club)
10. 12:45.99, Gabrielle Lee (Jefferson Parks & Recreation)

10:30 AM ET, 9-10 Boys' 3K

Next, the athletes in the 9-to-10 boys' 3K took their turn on the Wall. Gabriel Hislop, racing from the front, collected another win for the Mount Pleasant Track Club, placing first in 10:47.01. He and the rest of his squad scored 28 points to take the team title.

Gabriel Hislop

Top Ten Athletes, 9-10 Boys' 3K

1. 10:47.01, Gabriel Hislop (Mount Pleasant Track Club)
2. 10:51.54, William Malueg (Jefferson Parks & Recreation)
3. 11:07.55, Elijah Avrett (Jefferson Parks & Recreation)
4. 11:11.53, David Shedd (Peachtree City Flash)
5. 11:13.42, Beckett Schleier (Mount Pleasant Track Club)
6. 11:14.79, Drew Butler (Mount Pleasant Track Club)
7. 11:16.47, Anthony Cote (Mount Pleasant Track Club)
8. 11:24.57, Liam Welsh (Walton Youth Track Club)
9. 11:26.57, Zachary Teachman (Mount Pleasant Track Club)
10. 11:29.41, Bo Colpaert (Etowah Youth Track Club)

11:00 AM ET, 11-12 Girls' 3K

Harriet Blaha of the Atlanta Track Club went out with the leaders of the 11-to-12 girls' 3K, but she came home ahead of them. Blaha won the race in 11:32.52, improving on her eighteenth-place showing in the 2018 Region 4 race. The girls of the Sequoyah Youth Track Club were first in the team standings with 35 points.

Harriet Blaha

Top Ten Athletes, 11-12 Girls' 3K

1. 11:32.52, Harriet Blaha (Atlanta Track Club)
2. 11:36.36, Nora Brahim (Mount Pleasant Track Club)
3. 11:47.20, Addison Higgins (Sequoyah Youth Track Club)
4. 11:49.96, Eva Murphy (Georgia Elit)
5. 11:52.69, Paige Harden (Great Strides)
6. 11:53.29, Faira Fenton (River Ridge Youth Track Club)
7. 11:53.74, Piper LeHew (City of Charleston Swamp Foxes)
8. 11:56.48, Lilly Savage (Sequoyah Youth Track Club)
9. 11:57.16, Lucy Voss (Unattached)
10. 11:57.74, Sophia Santivanez (Happy Feet Running Club)

11:30 AM ET, 11-12 Boys' 3K

Several runners got out fast in the 11-to-12 boys' 3K, leading in the early going. Mason Wicks wasn't won of them. Nevertheless, Walton Youth Track Club's Wick led over the finish line, winning the race in 10:23.83. It was Wicks' first year in the age group. The Mount Pleasant boys took the team title, scoring 46 points.

Mason Wicks

Top Ten Athletes, 11-12 Boys' 3K

1. 10:23.83, Mason Wicks (Walton Youth Track Club)
2. 10:29.01, Chase Fournier (Walton Youth Track Club)
3. 10:30.85, Calvin Volkmann (Mount Pleasant Track Club)
4. 10:38.52, Gavin Moore (Unattached)
5. 10:43.76, Kaleb Burroughs (Florence Track Club)
6. 10:43.78, Benjamin Winn (Great Strides)
7. 10:56.21, Jordan Nowell (Peachtree City Flash)
8. 10:59.05, Ethan Gawryluk (Mount Pleasant Track Club)
9. 11:01.34, Sam Comsudes (Atlanta Track Club)
10. 11:02.64, Ethan Bridge (Unattached)

12:00 PM ET, 13-14 Girls' 4K

The course for the 13-to-14 girls' 4K was two loops, neither of which required the runners to tackle the Wall. After the first loop, Mount Dora Middle School eighth-grader Noelle Vu was following Sarah Fassinger of the Cherokee Junior Track Club, both runners well ahead of the rest of the field. By the end of the second loop, Vu was well head of everyone. Florida's 2019 middle school cross-country champion, Vu won the Region 4 title in 14:17.52, with Fassinger second in 14:36.56. Mount Pleasant edged Great Strides for the team title, 42 to 44.

Noelle Vu

Top Ten Athletes, 13-14 Girls' 4K

1. 14:17.52, Noelle Vu (Unattached)
2. 14:36.66, Sarah Fassinger (Cherokee Junior Track Club)
3. 14:59.37, Morgan Grace Sheffield (Great Strides)
4. 15:03.97, Lula Katz (Unattached)
5. 15:11.44, Abbie Kallbreier (Etowah Youth Track Club)
6. 15:11.44, Clodagh OBryant (Unattached)
7. 15:21.76, Claire Shelton (Alpha Crush Running Club)
8. 15:28.56, Erin O'Brien (DASH)
9. 15:33.56, Lauren Fath (Creekview Youth Track Club)
10. 15:49.22, Josephine May (Mount Pleasant Track Club)

12:30 PM ET, 13-14 Boys' 4K

Miguel Pantojas De Jesus followed the early leaders out in the 13-to-14 boys 4K, but by midway through the race they were all following him. Unchallenged the rest of the way, the Oviedo High frosh went on to win in 12:58.83. Great Strides put up 34 points to take the team title.

Miguel Pantojas De Jesus

Top Ten Athletes, 13-14 Boys' 4K

1. 12:58.83, Miguel Pantojas De Jesus (Unattached)
2. 13:19.82, Ryan Sewczwicz (River Ridge Youth Track Club)
3. 13:19.89, Reid Latimer (Great Strides)
4. 13:23.82, Clark Bilderback (Alpha Crush Running Club)
5. 13:24.21, Jose Rosa (Happy Feet Running Club)
6. 13:24.92, Ryan Cano (Unattached)
7. 13:25.89, Reece Bluestein (Columbia Project)
8. 13:33.77, Hayden Nicholason (Great Strides)
9. 13:35.39, Timothy Cole (Alpha Crush Running Club)
10. 13:38.13, John Teachman (Mount Pleasant Track Club)

1:00 PM ET, 15-18 Girls' 5K

There may have been a short time at the beginning of the 15-to-18 girls' 5K where Laci Watford wasn't leading. It would have had to be a very short time, though. Watford, a University Christian sophomore, Watford won the race by almost half a kilometer, running 20:13.8. It was her second straight Region 4 title; she had placed first in the 13-14 girls' 4K in 2018. Ana Yerabuena, the defending Region 4 champion in the 15-18 girls' 5K, was second in 22:08.51.

Laci Watford

Top Eight Athletes, 15-18 Girls' 5K

1. 20:13.72, Laci Watford (Unattached)
2. 22:08.51, Ana Yerbabuena (Unattached)
3. 23:25.24, Yosverani Solis (Unattached)
4. 24:14.77, Dana Martinez (Unattached)
5. 24:40.48, Gracie Tingelhoff (Jefferson Parks & Recreation)
6. 24:52.40, Jalin Delcid (Unattached)
7. 25:50.66, Ashley Jube (Jefferson Parks & Recreation)
8. 27:15.79, Jennifer Price (Unattached)

1:30 PM ET, 15-18 Boys' 5K

Michael Patterson of Great Strides trailed some overly-optimistic runners in the early going of the 15-to-18 boys' 5K, but by the three-kilometer mark he was in command of the race. After finishing ninth in the race in 2017 and sixth in 2018, the South Forsyth High senior took first in the 2019 race in 16:34.03. East Coweta High sophomore Matthew Moore was second in 17:08.2. It was Moore and Patterson's latest November matchup--Moore had finished ahead of Patterson in the 7A boys' race at the GHSA Championship on 2 November, but Patterson had won the USATF Georgia Association meet over Moore on 9 November. Likewise, Patterson placed ahead of Moore in the Georgia Meet Of Champions boys' 5K on 16 November.

Michael Patterson

Top Ten Athletes, 15-18 Boys' 5K

1. 16:34.03, Michael Patterson (Great Strides)
2. 17:08.16, Matthew Moore (Unattached)
3. 17:24.92, Nicolas Fiorillo (Mount Pleasant Track Club)
4. 17:26.89, Cameron Watson (Unattached)
5. 17:58.69, Fredrick Baehre (Unattached)
6. 18:09.40, Larry Orsini (Unattached)
7. 18:22.80, Matthew Brown (Hart Beat)
8. 18:46.26, Alexander Mincey (Darlington Track Club)
9. 18:48.37, Nicholas Mohr (Myrtle Beach)
10. 18:49.17, Andrew Kivett (Unattached)

Links

• Complete results of the 2019 USATF Region 4 Junior Olympic Cross-Country Championship Meet
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vS-kKPxXgj43U75ARdHtLDUIovtMMXSNj6_cgkILZpRS_bXczqE_72xPPUh-RADF3Ovc37CYyPLoCP6/pubhtml
  
  
• More Trouble Afoot! photos of the 2019 USATF Region 4 Junior Olympic Cross-Country Championship Meet
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10114670058566883
  
  
• The 2019 cross-country season at Apalachee Regional Park
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/08/arpxc-schedule-2019.html
  
  
• Upcoming races in the Tallahassee region via the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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