Abbey Griffin and Asa Swope were spectacular at the SportsPlex

Florida State University's Rec SportsPlex is located on the far west side of Tallahassee, Florida. Leon County Schools has held two middle school cross-country meets there--the Falcon Invitational in 2020 and the inaugural Mabry Invitational on Friday night, 1 October 2021. Deerlake's Abbey Griffin has won her race in both meets, most recently taking first in the Mabry Invite girls' 3K, running 12:13. Asa Swope isn't undefeated at the SportsPlex, but he still won the boys' 3K at the Mabry Invitational, going the distance in 11:10. Deerlake took first in the teams standings of the girls' 3K with 25 points; Montford was the top boys' team, scoring 39 points.

Asa Swope

When the 2020 Falcon Invitational was at the FSU Rec SportsPlex, Leon County Schools athletic director Scott Hansen realized that the lighting at the facility would make a night meet possible. Acting on that idea, he added the 2021 Mabry Invitational to the 2021 middle school cross-country calendar, scheduling the meet for a 7:30 PM start at the SportsPlex.


That 7:30 race was the girls' 3K. In her four winning runs at Leon County Schools middle school cross-country meets, Abbey Griffin has established a pattern of close finishes. In her first win at the SportsPlex, the Falcon Invitational, Griffin beat Montford's Sophia Youngberg by inches, both runners clocked in 12:30. Griffin's first win of the 2021 season came at Montford's Mustang Stampede, where the eighth-grader squeaked by Annabelle Wiktorski of Montford, 11:55 to 11:56. The Falcon Invitational was likewise decided on the homestretch, with Griffin just ahead of Deerlake's London Mellen, 12:07 to 12:10.


And at the Mabry Invitational?


"Abbey got me in the last 400 meters," said Montford seventh-grader Annabelle Wiktorski, the runner-up.

FSU Rec SportsPlex

It had still been close. Griffin ran 12:13, Wiktorski 12:14. Deerlake sixth-graders Honesty Daniel and Chloe Molen took the next two places, Daniel third in 12:47 and Molen fourth in 12:52.


Deerlake put two more runners in the top ten--Seventh-grader Chloe Houge placed seventh in 13:19 and eighth-grader Madeline Morris was tenth in 13:54. That gave the Deerlake girls 25 points and another Buck victory.


Montford and Wiktorski scored 35 points, taking second. Cobb edged the Raa girls for third, 101 to 105. Cobb's first finisher was seventh-grader Mallory Brown (12th, 14:37), Raa's was eighth-grader Kennedy Bell (8th, 13:32).


2021 Mabry Invitational Girls' Team Standings

1. Deerlake, 25
2. Montford, 35
3. Cobb, 101
4. Raa, 105
5. Swift Creek, 125
6. Fairview, 131
7. Griffin, 222
8. Fort Braden, NTS
   Woodville, NTS

Top Ten Girls, 2021 Mabry Invitational

1. 12:12.05, Abbey Griffin (Deerlake) 8
2. 12:13.94, Annabelle Wiktorski (Montford) 7
3. 12:46.96, Honesty Daniel (Deerlake) 6
4. 12:51.23, Chloe Molen (Deerlake) 6
5. 13:01.00, Savannah Stanley (Montford) 7
6. 13:17.53, Haley Heitmeyer (Montford) 7
7. 13:18.06, Chloe Houge (Deerlake) 7
8. 13:31.47, Kennedy Bell (Raa) 8
9. 13:51.52, Andi Vilardo (Montford) 7
10. 13:53.40, Madeline Morris (Deerlake) 8

There were no close finishes for Asa Swope in the boys' 3K. In the sixth meet of the season, it was Swope's fifth race and his fourth win. Other runners led early, but by the end of the first kilometer the Swift Creek eighth-grader was ahead of everyone. Swope wasn't challenged after that and went on to win by over 100 meters in 11:10. Another Swift Creek eighth-grader, Kingsley Knispel, grabbed the runner-up spot with a 11:34. Fairview seventh-grader Jack Koon held off two Montford runners--seventh-grader Gavin Poucher and eighth-grader Matthew Hauser--to take third in 11:43. Poucher was fourth and Hauser fifth, both in 11:44.

Boys' 3K

Two more Montford athletes made the top ten, with seventh-grader Trent Parsons eighth in 11:59 and eighth-grader Jackson Beener ninth in 12:01. Once Montford eighth-grader Edward Bass was across the finish line thirteenth in 12:31, the Mustang boys had 39 points and first place, their fourth straight win.


Swope's Swift Creek Wolves were second with 58 points. Fairview and Jack Koon tallied 62 points to take third in the field of nine teams.


One meet, the seventh, is left in the 2021 Leon County Schools middle school cross-country season. That final event is the Leon County Schools League Championship at Apalachee Regional Park on Thursday, 7 October 2021. The girls' 3K will start at 6:00 PM with the boys' 3K following at 6:30 PM.


2021 Mabry Invitational Boys' Team Standings

1. Montford, 39
2. Swift Creek, 58
3. Fairview, 62
4. Deerlake, 90
5. Raa, 148
6. Cobb, 153
7. Fort Braden, 226
8. Griffin, 231
9. Woodville, 233

Top Ten Boys, 2021 Mabry Invitational

1. 11:09.54, Asa Swope (Swift Creek) 8
2. 11:33.80, Kingsley Knispel (Swift Creek) 8
3. 11:42.17, Jack Koon (Fairview) 7
4. 11:43.30, Gavin Poucher (Montford) 7
5. 11:43.88, Matthew Hauser (Montford) 8
6. 11:52.50, Emari Thomas (Fairview) 6
7. 11:56.13, Thoren Knispel (Swift Creek) 8
8. 11:58.20, Trent Parsons (Montford) 7
9. 12:00.66, Jackson Beener (Montford) 8
10. 12:12.15, Antonio Clements ( Cobb) 6

Links

• Complete results of the 2021 Mabry Invitational Middle School Cross-Country Meet
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTlUbspmBX9fCJ4rCeXUrxBOD5kLWCE2DZFJjMzVrdWpvBevZ5i-GPOTCGTBcPHvl2HysAMxVbZkoeP/pubhtml
  
  
• More Trouble Afoot! photos of the 2021 Mabry Invitational Middle School Cross-Country Meet
  [ COMING SOON! PLEASE CHECK BACK! ]
  
  
• The 2021 LCS middle school cross-country season
  
  • ARPXC Invitational https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/08/swift-creek-2021.html
    
  • Fort Braden Run https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/09/fort-braden-2021.html
    
  • Mustang Stampede https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/09/mustang-2021.html
    
  • Everhart Invitational https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/09/owl-run-2021.html
    
  • Falcon Invitational https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/09/falcon-2021.html
    
  • Mabry Invitational https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/10/mabry-2021.html
    
  • LCS Championship [ Coming on 7 October 2021 ]
    
  
  
• Leon County Schools' 2021 middle school cross country schedule
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/08/lcs-xc-2021.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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