Kyra Swart and Danny Mauldin win while Deerlake sweeps the Mustang Stampede

Leon County Schools' middle school cross-country season returned to familiar ground on Wednesday evening, 14 October 2020. After two weeks of racing on new courses, first at the Alford Greenway and next at the Golf and Country Club, the LCS harriers headed to Montford Middle School on the north side of Tallahassee for the eighth annual Mustang Stampede. The venue was especially familiar to Deerlake seventh-grader Kyra Swart, who had won the girls' 3K at Montford in 2019. Swart successfully defended her title in the 2020 race, running the three kilometers in 12:50 and leading her team to a winning score of 18 points. The Deerlake boys team won team honors for the fourth year in a row and fifth time in six years, edging Swift Creek 43 to 48. Danny Mauldin, a Deerlake eighth-grader, earned his second win of the season, running 11:31.

Kyra Swart

The 2019 Mustang Stampede girls' 3K was Kyra Swart's first LCS cross-country win. She hasn't lost a Leon County Schools race since, a winning streak that stands at six races. Swart led most of the way at the 2020 Mustang Stampede, never more than a few steps ahead, but nevertheless always ahead--especially at the finish line, where she was first in 12:50. Just behind Swart, Deerlake seventh-grader Abbey Griffin took second in 13:07. Sophia Youngberg, a Montford eighth-grader, interrupted the parade of Deerlake green by grabbing third with a 13:07.

Abbey Griffin

But after Youngberg the Deerlake procession resumed. Buck sixth-graders Myra Holman and Kaia Ables were fourth in 13:14 and fifth in 13:16. London Mellen, a Deerlake seventh-grader, followed them across the line, sixth in 31:21. The Deerlake girls had a mathematically unbeatable 18 points, successfully defending their 2019 Stampede title.


Led by Youngberg, the girls from Montford, the host school, placed second with 40 points. Raa stood third among the six girls' teams, scoring 83 points behind Ram seventh-grader Cecilia Veliz (8th, 13:45).


2020 Mustang Stampede Team Standings, Girls

1. Deerlake, 18
2. Montford, 40
3. Raa, 83
4. Cobb, 125
5. Swift Creek, 136
6. Nims, 150
7. Fort Braden, NTS
   Fairview, NTS
   Woodville, NTS

Top 10 Girls, 2020 Montford Mustang Stampede 3K

1. 12:49.63, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 7
2. 12:54.73, Abbey Griffin (Deerlake) 7
3. 13:06.65, Sophia Youngberg (Montford) 8
4. 13:13.86, Myra Holman (Deerlake) 6
5. 13:15.81, Kaia Ables (Deerlake) 6
6. 13:20.72, London Mellen (Deerlake) 7
7. 13:39.41, Adriena Vilardo (Montford) 6
8. 13:44.89, Cecilia Veliz (Raa) 7
9. 13:56.32, Haley Heitmeyer (Montford) 6
10. 13:57.65, Ava Hill (Montford) 8

Raa eighth-grader Cadden Maxwell led for most of the first kilometer of the boys' 3K, but he fell back during the second half of the race, ultimately finishing seventh in 12:24. The fading Maxwell was overtaken by a pack of four athletes--Danny Mauldin of Deerlake, Asher Robertson of Swift Creek, Neal Porter of Montford, and Asa Swope of Swift Creek. The lead group strung out as Robertson, an eighth-grader, charged ahead. With less than 400 meters left in the race, Robertson was still in front, ten meters ahead of Mauldin. Then Mauldin made his move.

Boys' 3K

On the way to the finish line Mauldin passed Robertson, going on to win 11:31 to 11:36. Eighth-grader Porter was third in 11:45, and seventh-grader Swope placed fourth in 11:45.


Swift Creek had three athletes in the top ten--Robertson, Swope, and eighth-grader Connor Aarons (10th, 12:42). Deerlake also put three in the top ten--winner Mauldin, plus eighth-graders Logan Peltier (5th, 12:10) and Petyon Allen (9th, 12:35). But Deerlake put eighth-grader Mathew Miralles (12th, 12:43) across the finish line ahead of Swift Creek's fourth runner, and Deerlake sixth-graders Sawyer McNeely (16th, 12:51) and Jonathan Kiros (17th, 12:52) were in before Swift Creek's fifth scorer. That was enough to put the Deerlake boys first in the nine-team field with 45 points, keeping the Bucks undefeated in 2020 league competition.

Danny Mauldin

Swift Creek was a close second with 48 points. Montford took third with a score of 81.


2020 Mustang Stampede Team Standings, Boys

1. Deerlake, 43
2. Swift Creek, 48
3. Montford, 81
4. Fairview, 109
5. Raa, 133
6. Cobb, 161
7. Nims, 173
8. Fort Braden, 238
9. Woodville, 276
10. Griffin, NTS

Top 10 Boys, 2020 Montford Mustang Stampede 3K

1. 11:30.94, Danny Mauldin (Deerlake) 8
2. 11:35.57, Asher Robertson (Swift Creek) 8
3. 11:44.81, Neal Porter (Montford) 8
4. 11:56.57, Asa Swope (Swift Creek) 7
5. 12:09.45, Logan Peltier (Deerlake) 8
6. 12:09.97, Xalimon Akbar (Fairview) 8
7. 12:23.54, Cadden Maxwell (Raa) 8
8. 12:26.49, Julian Thompson (Raa) 8
9. 12:34.55, Peyton Allen (Deerlake) 8
10. 12:41.17, Connor Aarons (Swift Creek) 8

Mustang Cross-Country Stampede Champions 2013 - 2020
Girls
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
27 September 2013	Swift Creek, 37 points	13:42, Saige Kemeny (Montford) 7
10 September 2014	Swift Creek, 34	12:46, Lawton Campbell (Deerlake) 8
30 September 2015	Swift Creek, 43	12:25, Emily Molen (Deerlake) 8
28 September 2016	Montford, 43	13:12, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 6
28 September 2017	Swift Creek, 20	13:12, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 7
20 September 2018	Montford, 40	11:45, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 8
19 September 2019	Deerlake, 40	13:03, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 6
14 October 2020	Deerlake, 18	12:50, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 7
Boys
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
27 September 2013	Montford, 56 points	11:56, Jacob Dodson (Raa) 8
10 September 2014	Swift Creek, 66	12:14, Tavaris King (Griffin) 8
30 September 2015	Deerlake, 43	11:56, Weston Blake (Swift Creek) 7
28 September 2016	Swift Creek, 39	11:28, Weston Blake (Swift Creek) 7
28 September 2017	Deerlake, 42	11:15, Ben Kirbo (Montford) 8
20 September 2018	Deerlake, 34	9:43, Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake) 8
19 September 2019	Deerlake, 36	10:54, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 8
14 October 2020	Deerlake, 43	11:31, Danny Mauldin (Deerlake) 8
From 2013 to 2017, the race distance at the Mustang Stampede was two miles. In 2018 the distance was changed to three kilometers.

Brian Corbin timed and scored Montford Middle School's eighth annual Mustang Stampede. There are two more events left in Leon County Schools' 2020 middle school cross-country season, starting with the third annual Falcon Invitational at the Florida State University SportsPlex on 23 October 2020. The season concludes with the LCS League Championship Meet on 28 October 2020 at Apalachee Regional Park.


Links

• Complete results of the 2020 Mustang Stampede Cross-Country Meet, courtesy of Brian Corbin
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT4fk3FOuL06CClOuX8BB-4J0EMcz610ZIRrgGPqWSrOdhcEgk7WmQ47yMSJDxIDtmsLLEmkcZcmN8B/pubhtml
  
  
• More Trouble Afoot! photos of Montford Middle School's 2020 Mustang Stampede Cross-Country Meet
  
  • Girls: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10116798056786393
  • Boys: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10116798904672223
  
  
• The 2020 LCS middle school cross-country season
  • Swift Creek Kick Off: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/10/swift-creek-2020.html
  • Killearn Invitational: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/10/killearn-2020.html
  • Mustang Stampede: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/10/mustang-2020.html
  • Falcon Invitational: [ Coming on 23 October 2020 ]
  • LCS Championship: [ Coming on 28 October 2020 ]
  
  
• Leon County Schools' 2020 middle school cross country schedule
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/10/lcs-xc-2020.html
  
  
• Tallahassee area cross country meets in 2020
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/09/tallahassee-xc-2020.html
  
  
• 2019 story, “Kyra Swart and Patrick Koon saddle up at the Mustang Stampede Cross-Country Meet”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/09/mustang-2019.html
  
  
• 2018 story, “Paige Churchill and Wyatt Townsend gallop into the winner's circle at the Mustang Stampede”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/09/mustang-2018.html
  
  
• 2017 story, “Paige Churchill and Ben Kirbo were head of the herd at the Mustang Stampede”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/09/mustang-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Paige Churchill and Weston Blake lead the Stampede at Montford”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/09/mustang-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Molen and Blake lead the stampede at the Mustang Invitational”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/10/mustang-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Swift Creek rides again at the Mustang Stampede”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/09/mustang-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Swift Creek girls and Montford boys keep winning at the Mustang Invitational”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/09/mustang-2013.html
  
  
• Find your next road race or cross-country run in the Tallahassee region
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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