Saturday morning, 15 October 2022, was late in Florida's high school cross-country season. It was almost time for the first District meet, followed by the round of Regional championships, then the State Meet, and then the long wait till next year. But there was still time for some racing, and that's just what the Arnold High Marlins had in mind that day when they hosted the fourth annual Panhandle Cross-Country Challenge in Panama City. North Bay Haven senior Charleen Elizando won the girls' 5K in 18:34, but it was the girls from Pensacola Christian who took the team title, scoring 24 points. Pensacola Christian senior Drew Birx took first in the boys' 5K with a 16:11, leading his team to a winning score of 33.The meet opened with the high school girls' 5K, where Charleen Elizando of North Bay Haven won by 50 meters in 18:34. A week earlier, Elizando had thrown down an 18:43 at Tallahassee's Apalachee Regional Park, placing 22nd in the Pre-State Invitational. There was no one ahead of her at the Panhandle Challenge, where her winning time was a girls' meet record--breaking the old record of 18:51 set by Kambry Smith of Fort Walton Beach in 2019. Behind Elizando, two Pensacola Christian athletes were in a close race for second, with junior RaeAnne Tutton getting the nod over frosh Jaimee Tutton. Both Tuttons were clocked in 18:46.
Another Pensacola Christian frosh, Reagan Smith, took fourth in 19:02. The Warriors put two more athletes in the top ten; senior Jessica Chappel was seventh in 19:45 and frosh Sofia Peterlevitz was eighth in 19:46. With five of the first eight finisher, the Pensacola Christian girls had a mathematically unbeatable 24 points and their second straight Panhandle Challenge win.
Behind Elizando's win, North Bay Haven scored 52 points to take second in the eight-team field. The Wakulla girls were second with 76 points, led by sophomore Isabella Laughton (9th, 19:56). Another Big Bend team, Florida State, was fourth with 104 points; their top runner was senior Niya Coleman, sixth in 19:42.
Girls' Team Standings, 2022 Panhandle Cross-Country Challenge
- Pensacola Christian, 24
- North Bay Haven, 52
- Wakulla, 76
- Florida State University, 104
- Arnold, 140
- Community Christian, 145
- Mosley, 196
- Rutherford, 236
Top Ten Girls, 2022 Panhandle Cross-Country Challenge
- 18:34.0, Charleen Elizando (North Bay Haven) 12
- 18:45.1, RaeAnne Tutton (Pensacola Christian) 11
- 18:45.1, Jaimee Tutton (Pensacola Christian) 9
- 19:02.0, Reagan Smith (Pensacola Christian) 9
- 19:23.2, Margaret Bartlow (North Bay Haven) 10
- 19:41.5, Niya Coleman (Florida State University) 12
- 19:44.7, Jessica Chappell (Pensacola Christian) 12
- 19:46.0, Sofia Peterlevitz (Pensacola Christian) 9
- 19:55.9, Isabella Laughton (Wakulla) 10
- 20:32.3, Lakyn Carmichael (North Bay Haven) 12
Drew Birx had finished fourth in the boys' 5K at the 2021 Panhandle Challenge, running 17:01. But the Pensacola Christian senior improved nearly a minute in the 2022 race, running a winning 16:11. North Bay Haven senior Matthew Matson took second, running 16:18. Pensacola Christian junior Andrew Sheppard edged his sophomore teammate, Dominic Litchfield, for third, 16:43 to 16:44.
Pensacola Christian put a fourth Warrior in the top ten; senior Micah Sleeth was ninth in 17:07. Senior Daniel Penley complete Pensacola Christian's scoring, placing sixteenth in 17:59. With five Warriors in, the boys from Pensacola Christian had 33 points, putting them first in the field of ten teams.
North Bay Haven was second with 68 points. Host team Arnold, led by senior Edward Kepran (5th, 16:49), placed third with 75 points.
TimingMD scored and chip-timed the 2022 Panhandle Cross-Country Challenge.
Boys' Team Standings, 2022 Panhandle Cross-Country Challenge
- Pensacola Christian, 33
- North Bay Haven, 68
- Arnold, 75
- Mosley, 115
- Wakulla, 122
- Florida State University, 143
- Community Christian, 186
- Lincoln, 236
- Wewahitchka, 253
- Rocky Bayou Christian, 292
Top Ten Boys, 2022 Panhandle Cross-Country Challenge
- 16:10.7, Drew Birx (Pensacola Christian) 12
- 16:17.1, Matthew Matson (North Bay Haven) 12
- 16:42.3, Andrew Sheppard (Pensacola Christian) 11
- 16:43.1, Dominic Litchfield (Pensacola Christian) 10
- 16:48.6, Edward Kepran (Arnold) 12
- 16:49.4, Carson King (Arnold) 12
- 16:52.7, Henry Lewis (Wakulla) 9
- 17:04.5, Nicolas Waddell (Mosley) 11
- 17:06.5, Micah Sleeth (Pensacola Christian) 12
- 17:31.3, Aidan Little (Mosley) 11
| Panhandle Cross-Country Championship Winners, 2019 - 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Boys | ||
| Date | Team | Athlete |
| 31 August 2019 | Niceville, 26 | 16:52, Ethan Rowe (Daphne) 12 |
| 17 October 2020 | Niceville, 41 | 16:09, Ryan Sloan (Fort Walton Beach) 12 |
| 9 October 2021 | Pensacola Christian, 48 | 16:35, Zach Spooner (Matanzas) 11 |
| 15 October 2022 | Pensacola Christian, 33 | 16:11, Drew Birx (Pensacola Christian) 12 |
| Girls | ||
| Date | Team | Athlete |
| 31 August 2019 | Niceville, 29 | 18:51, Kambry Smith (Fort Walton Beach) 11 |
| 17 October 2020 | South Walton, 44 | 18:58, Chloe Fernander (Choctawhatchee) 11 |
| 9 October 2021 | Pensacola Christian, 51 | 19:42, Jaimee Tutton (Pensacola Christian) 8 |
| 15 October 2022 | Pensacola Christian, 24 | 18:34, Charleen Elizando (North Bay Haven) 12 |
Links
- Complete results of the 2022 Panhandle Cross-Country Championships
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT_m2--gIH8OQXT2IQx4ye0bDPorFxy3IKIXvkOCk8J_cdZylYHDQh5uEpdKMQGW9b-UeAO8ICnRqLa/pubhtml
- 2020 story, “Chloe Fernander and Ryan Sloan are Panhandle Cross-Country Champions”
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/10/panhandle-champs-2020.html
- Find your next race in the Tallahassee region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
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