Anna James and Alec Munger race to more wins at the Bearcat Invitational

Anna James just keeps winning.


During the 2020 high school cross-country season, the Thomas County Central senior notched wins in the girls' race at the Yellow Jacket Invitational on August 29, the Lee County Invitational on September 12, the Tift Invitational on September 26, and the Westover Invitational on October 3. On 10 October 2020, she added another victory in Bainbridge, Georgia at the Bearcat Invitational, where she ran 20:23.


But aside from James, the story of the Bearcat Invitational was largely one of two schools, Wakulla High and Lowndes High. James may have placed first in the girls' 5K, but the team competition was between Wakulla and Lowndes, with Wakulla prevailing 29 to 42. Lowndes had the edge in the boys' 5K, taking first with 21 points to Wakulla's 94, while Lowndes senior Alec Munger finished first in 17:13.


The girls raced first, with a scheduled starting time of 8:00 AM. No one was close to Anna James as she won the race by nearly 400 meters, covering the course around Bainbridge High School in 20:23. The next three places went to three Wakulla juniors, with Elizabeth Blitch second in 22:01, Marina Whitsell third in 22:05, and Clara Alford fourth in 22:14.


The Wakulla girls had a fourth athlete in the top ten; senior Alejandra Vivaldo Vasquez placed seventh in 22:27. Keri Levingston completed Wakulla's score, finishing fourteenth in 23:50 and giving the War Eagles a winning 29 points. The Lowndes girls were second with 42 points, led by senior Kiley Matheson's 22:15, good for fifth place. Scoring 90 points, Tift County was third in the six-team field, led by senior Katie McMillan (11th, 23:22).


2020 Bearcat Invitational Team Standings, High School Girls

1. Wakulla, 29
2. Lowndes, 42
3. Tift County, 90
4. Thomas County Central, 112
5. Westover, 113
6. Bainbridge, 136

Top Ten High School Girls, 2020 Bearcat Invitational

1. 20:22.10, Anna James (Thomas County Central) 12
2. 22:00.90, Elizabeth Blitch (Wakulla) 11
3. 22:04.60, Marina Whitsell (Wakulla) 11
4. 22:13.30, Clara Alford (Wakulla) 11
5. 22:14.50, Kiley Matheson (Lowndes) 12
6. 22:19.80, Victoria Garcia (Lowndes) 10
7. 22:28.60, Alejandra Vivaldo Vasquez (Wakulla) 12
8. 22:49.00, Laura Mason (Lowndes) 11
9. 23:15.40, Macy Batchelor (Seminole County) 12
10. 23:16.90, Anna Plowden (Westover) 11

Alec Munger didn't win the boys' 5K with as wide a margin as Anna James enjoyed in the girls' race, but he still finished comfortably ahead of the runner-up, Wakulla senior Simon Cole, 17:13 to 17:26. After Cole, it was a lot of Lowndes, as the Vikings put all four of their remaining scorers in the top ten--sophmore Aaron Munger was third in 17:43, junior Matthew Herndon was fourth in 18:00, senior Andrew Carvana was fifth in 18:24, and senior Andrew Francis took eighth in 18:38. With those five athletes, Lowndes had 21 points and first place--improving on their second-place showing in 2018, their previous appearance in the Bearcat Invitational.


Cole and Wakulla were second in the ten-team field with 94 points. Westover was a close third with 101 points, led by the tenth-place finish of senior Kentavious Sessions (18:48).


2020 Bearcat Invitational Team Standings, High School Boys

1. Lowndes, 21
2. Wakulla, 94
3. Westover, 101
4. Bainbridge, 113
5. Cairo, 149
6. Thomas County Central, 156
7. Tift County, 167
8. Grace Christian, 183
9. Thomasville, 252
10. Seminole County, 257

Top Ten High School Boys, 2020 Bearcat Invitational

1. 17:12.10, Alec Munger (Lowndes) 12
2. 17:25.20, Simon Cole (Wakulla) 12
3. 17:42.20, Aaron Munger (Lowndes) 10
4. 17:59.60, Matthew Herndon (Lowndes) 11
5. 18:24.00, Andrew Carvana (Lowndes) 12
6. 18:31.30, Jared Davis (Bainbridge) 11
7. 18:35.70, Wyatt Carpenter (Grace Christian) 12
8. 18:38.00, Andrew Francis (Lowndes) 12
9. 18:39.60, Elias Lopez-Gomez (Cairo) 12
10. 18:47.70, Kentavious Sessions (Westover) 12

The high school races were followed by a middle school two mile. The first girl in that race was eighth-grader Cadence Curnalia of Thomas County Middle School, going 13:24 in her first appearance at the Bearcat Invite. Eighth-grader Isabella Laughton, competing unattached, placed second in 14:01. Thomas County sixth-grader Savannah Dodd went 15:00 for third.


Curnalia and Dodd were joined in the top ten by fellow Yellow Jacket Gabby Lindquist; eighth-grader Lindquist was tenth in 18:30. Two sixth-graders rounded out Thomas County's five scorers, with Julie Vonier thirteenth in 18:55 and Josie Smith sixteenth in 19:41. Once Smith crossed the finish line, the Yellow Jacket girls had 21 points and first place. Led by eighth-grader Geisha Smith (4th, 15:18), Seminole County took second with 36 points.


2020 Bearcat Invitational Team Standings, Middle School Girls

1. Thomas County, 21
2. Seminole County, 36

Top Ten Middle School Girls, 2020 Bearcat Invitational

1. 13:23.60, Cadence Curnalia (Thomas County) 8
2. 14:00.50, Isabella Laughton (Unattached) 8
3. 14:59.30, Savannah Dodd (Thomas County) 6
4. 15:17.70, Geisha Smith (Seminole County) 8
5. 15:37.60, Katya Jackson (Valdosta) 8
6. 15:56.30, Katelyn Bailey (Whigham) 8
7. 17:35.80, Madison Gainous (Whigham) 7
8. 17:55.10, Kyli Alexander (MacIntyre Park) 7
9. 18:19.30, Jenna Collins (MacIntyre Park) 8
10. 18:29.90, Gabby Lindquist (Thomas County) 8

More than 100 meters ahead of the next runner, TaQuan Townsend cruised to a 13:03 victory in the middle school boys' two mile. Dawson McMillan of Tift took second in 13:03, and seventh-grader Henry Lewis was third in 13:48.


The team competition was between the two Thomasville schools--Thomas County and MacIntyre Park. County's Yellow Jackets had three runners in the top ten--sixth-grader Brody Jennings was fourth in 14:11, sixth-grader Mason Tillman was fifth in 14:17, and eighth-grader Tim Watson was eighth in 14:52. Seventh-graders Memphis McKenzie (12th, 15:06) and Conner Marsh (18th, 15:59) filled the two remaining spots on the Thomas County's card of five scorers, giving the Jackets 20 points and first place. MacIntyre Park seventh-grader placed tenth in 15:02, leading his Bulldogs to second place with 36 points.


2020 Bearcat Invitational Team Standings, Middle School Boys

1. Thomas County, 20
2. MacIntyre Park, 36

Top Ten Middle School Boys, 2020 Bearcat Invitational

1. 12:36.20, Ta'Quan Townsend (Unattached) 8
2. 13:02.60, Dawson McMillan (Tift) 8
3. 13:47.30, Henry Lewis (Unattached) 7
4. 14:11.00, Brody Jennings (Thomas County) 6
5. 14:16.30, Mason Tillman (Thomas County) 6
6. 14:33.60, Corbin Thompson (Bainbridge) 7
7. 14:44.30, Aidan Angie (Bainbridge) 8
8. 14:51.40, Tim Watson (Thomas County) 8
9. 15:01.50, Christian Knight (Whigham) 8
10. 15:01.60, Nicholas May (MacIntyre Park) 7

Miles and Minutes, LLC, of Tallahassee, Florida timed the 2020 Bearcat Invitational.

Bainbridge High School Bearcat Cross-Country Invitational Champions 2000 - 2017
High School Girls 5K
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
27 September 2003	Tift County, 39	22:28, Demonessa Pyle (Berrien County)
24 September 2005	Tift County, 32
23 September 2006
22 September 2007
20 September 2008	Bainbridge, 39	21:06, April Thomas (Bainbridge) 10
19 September 2009	Westover, 45	19:31, April Thomas (Bainbridge) 11
18 September 2010	Lee County
17 September 2011	Tift County, 36	21:50, Ericka Taylor (Westover) 11
22 September 2012	Thomasville, 64	21:05, Ericka Taylor (Westover) 12
14 September 2013	Thomas County Central, 55	19:56, Paige Braswell (Bainbridge) 12
20 September 2014	Maclay, 35	19:11, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 9
26 September 2015	Lincoln, 60	21:10, Juliana Krueger (Lincoln) 12
17 September 2016	Maclay, 31	18:06, Alyson Churchill (Lincoln) 9
16 September 2017	Lincoln, 53	20:41, Emily Golden (Tift County) 10
15 September 2018	Bishop Snyder, 50	19:42, Gianna Forte (Bishop Snyder) 12
21 September 2019	Community Christian, 48	20:40, Rebecca Chandler (Berrien County) 12
10 September 2020	Wakulla, 29	20:23, Anna James (Thomas County Central) 12
High School Boys 5K
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
27 September 2003	Westover, 41	17:47, David Marley (Westover)
24 September 2005	Bainbridge, 54
23 September 2006
22 September 2007
20 September 2008	Tift County, 37	17:13, David Daniel (Thomasville) 11
19 September 2009	Tift County, 49	16:04, Hunter Honeycutt (Tift County) 10
18 September 2010	Westover
17 September 2011	Tift County, 55	16:48, Hunter Honeycutt (Tift County) 12
22 September 2012	Bainbridge, 77	16:40, Josh Mason (Westover) 12
14 September 2013	Bainbridge, 65	16:15, Chase Harris (Bainbridge) 11
20 September 2014	Maclay, 51	16:59, Bryce Swindell (Lassiter) 12
26 September 2015	Lowndes, 43	16:52, Kaleb Wolfenden (Lowndes) 11
17 September 2016	Maclay, 32	16:41, Clayburn Milford (Maclay) 10
16 September 2017	Lincoln, 39	17:12, Clayton Carlson (Lincoln) 12
15 September 2018	Lee County, 54	17:41, Christopher Porter (Rickards) 12
21 September 2019	Lee County, 60	16:54, David Andrew Keen (North Florida Christian) 12
10 September 2020	Lowndes, 21	17:13, Alec Munger (Lowndes) 12
Additions and corrections to this table will be accepted gratefully. ~HW

Links

• Complete results of the 2020 Bainbridge High Bearcat Cross-Country Invitational
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQwGmCGyIDxtaS12x2kAlsOWFXAjKon3luv9NVHwN0g0m0-Gc_ag620r24bV29t4nDa72p4G_LZF0AK/pubhtml
  
  
• 2017 story, “A whole lot of Lincoln Trojan at the Bainbridge Bearcat Invitational”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/09/bearcat-xc-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Lincoln frosh Alyson Churchill stuns Southwest Georgia with an 18:06”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/09/bearcat-xc-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Krueger leads Lincoln and Wolfenden leads Lowndes to victories in Bainbridge”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/09/bearcat-xc-2015.html
  
  
• Trouble Afoot! coverage of running in Bainbridge, Georgia
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/Bainbridge
  
  
• Stop playing on the computer and run a race! You can find one here:
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2709

Lowndes sweeps the high school team titles at the Lee County Invite

On Saturday morning, 12 September 2020, for the second year in a row the Lowndes High Vikings left the Lee County Invitational carrying home team titles from both the girls' 5K and the boys' 5K. But it was a Thomas County Central senior, Anna James, who nabbed the win in the high school girls' 5K, running 20:35. Deerfield-Windsor junior Jon Durham went 17:41 in the boys' 5K, winning that race for the second year straight.


No one was near Anna James when she crossed the finish line in 20:35; she won the race with a lead of more than 200 meters. It was James' second win of the season; she had an earlier first-place finish at her school's home opener, the Yellow Jacket Invitational. Allie Brown, a Crisp senior, finished runner-up to James in 21:34. Tift County junior Alexis Tucker placed third in 22:27.


Lowndes sophomore Victoria Garcia took fourth in 22:47. Garcia was the first of three Vikings in the top ten, the others being seniors Kiley Matheson (6th, 23:07) and Laura Mason (8th, 23:18). Sophomore Lindsay Whitmer (12th, 24:01) and junior Megan Gemma (22nd, 24:46) also scored for Lowndes, giving the Viking girls 47 points and their second Lee County win in two years. The Deerfield-Windsor girls were second in the twelve-team field, scoring 86 points behind the the fifth-place showing of D-W junior Bailey Irvin. Alexis Tucker and Tift County were third in the team standings with 106 points.


Team Standings, High School Girls, 2020 Lee County High Invitational

1. Lowndes, 47
2. Deerfield-Windsor, 86
3. Tift County, 106
4. Lee County, 117
5. Valwood, 140
6. Berrien County, 188
7. Thomas County Central, 191
8. Baconton Charter, 214
9. Colquitt County, 220
10. Bainbridge, 236
11. Furlow Charter, 252
12. Seminole County, 309

Top Ten High School Girls, 2020 Lee County High Invitational

1. 20:34.9, Anna James (Thomas County Central) 12
2. 21:33.6, Allie Brown (Crisp) 12
3. 22:26.1, Alexis Tucker (Tift County) 11
4. 22:46.2, Victoria Garcia (Lowndes) 10
5. 22:53.6, Bailey Irvin (Deerfield-Windsor) 11
6. 23:06.4, Kiley Matheson (Lowndes) 12
7. 23:13.4, Maya Wynn (Furlow Charter) 12
8. 23:18.0, Laura Mason (Lowndes) 12
9. 23:25.8, Ella Burnett (Valwood) 9
10. 23:38.3, Emily Phillips (Lee County) 11

Jon Durham ran 17:41 in the high school boys' 5K at the Lee County Invite, picking up his first win of the 2020 season. A little more than thirty meters behind the junior from Deerfield-Windsor, Lowndes sophomore Aaron Munger was runner-up in 17:48. Graham Ford, a Deerfield-Windsor senior, finished third in 18:08.


Deerfield-Windsor had a third scorer in the top ten, frosh Garrison Slaughter, who placed seventh in 19:03. But Lowndes had five Vikings in the top ten--Munger, junior Matthew Herndon (4th, 18:15), frosh Isaac Chambers (6th, 18:58), senior Andrew Francis (8th, 19:20), and junior Blake Jaramillo (9th, 19:26). That put the Lowndes boys first among fourteen teams with a score of 29 points. Host school Lee County, led by the fifth-place showing of junior Edward Ostrander (18:51), took second with 60 points. Deerfield-Windsor was third with 70 points.


Team Standings, High School Boys, 2020 Lee County High Invitational

1. Lowndes, 29
2. Lee County, 60
3. Deerfield-Windsor, 70
4. Colquitt County, 132
5. Tift County, 169
6. Bainbridge, 171
7. Berrien County, 217
8. Thomas County Central, 223
9. Worth County, 239
10. Furlow Charter, 299
11. Seminole County, 314
12. Grace Christian, 316
13. Baconton Charter, 345
14. Baker County, 382

Top Ten High School Boys, 2020 Lee County High Invitational

1. 17:40.9, Jon Durham (Deerfield-Windsor) 11
2. 17:48.0, Aaron Munger (Lowndes) 10
3. 18:07.6, Graham Ford (Deerfield-Windsor) 12
4. 18:14.9, Matthew Herndon (Lowndes) 11
5. 18:50.1, Edward Ostrander (Lee County) 11
6. 18:57.4, Isaac Chambers (Lowndes) 9
7. 19:02.3, Garrison Slaughter (Deerfield-Windsor) 9
8. 19:19.3, Andrew Francis (Lowndes) 12
9. 19:25.1, Blake Jaramillo (Lowndes) 11
10. 19:30.1, Tim Ellis (Lee County) 10

After winning the middle school girls' two mile back home at the Yellow Jacket Invitational two weeks earlier, Thomas County eighth-grader Cadence Curnalia won that event at the Lee County Invitational, crossing the finish line first in 13:42. Eighth-grader Gracie Morrical of Baconton Charter was second in 14:31. Another eighth-grader, Olivia Vanderwalt of Lee County, was third in 14:49. Vanderwalt had placed eleventh in the 2019 Lee County Invite and ninth in 2018.


Seventh-grader Liza Nix placed fourth in 15:03, one of two Berrien County girls in the top ten. Lee County also had two athletes in the top ten, with Vanderwalt joined by seventh-grader Harlee Oosterveen (7th, 15:14). Lee County's remaining scorers were sixth-grader Peyton Passinault (11th, 15:55), eighth-grader Samantha Stephens (23rd, 16:53), and seventh-grader Hayden Bruce (25th, 16:58)--giving the team a narrow 65-to-66 win just ahead of second place Berrien County. Deerfield-Windsor was third in the nine-team field with 84 points, led by eighth-grader Molly Fuller (9th, 15:46).


Team Standings, Middle School Girls, 2020 Lee County High Invitational

1. Lee County, 65
2. Berrien County, 66
3. Deerfield-Windsor, 84
4. Lowndes, 108
5. Tift, 141
6. Thomas County, 146
7. Grace Christian, 164
8. Baconton Charter, 178
9. Colquitt County, 192

Top Ten Middle School Girls, 2020 Lee County High Invitational

1. 13:41.8, Cadence Curnalia (Thomas County) 8
2. 14:30.1, Gracie Morrical (Baconton Charter) 8
3. 14:48.5, Olivia Vanderwalt (Lee County) 8
4. 15:03.0, Liza Nix (Berrien County) 7
5. 15:03.2, Alyssa Youmans (Lowndes) 8
6. 15:11.8, Kate Poitevint (Grace Christian) 8
7. 15:13.2, Harlee Oosterveen (Lee County) 7
8. 15:18.4, Savannah Dodd (Thomas County) 6
9. 15:45.2, Molly Fuller (Deerfield-Windsor) 8
10. 15:47.6, Alli Butler (Berrien County) 8

In spite of first-place showings in the team scoring of the two high school races, Lowndes High didn't pick up individual wins in either of the 5K events. Lowndes Middle, however, struck gold in the middle school boys' race when eighth-grader Dylan Chambers finished first in 12:16. Charlie Wilcox, a Deerfield-Windsor eighth-grader, finished runner-up in 12:30. Close behind, Grace Christian seventh-grader Walker Elrod was third in 12:33.


Each of those top three runners was on a top three squad in the fourteen-team field. Chambers, joined by eighth-graders Gage Francis (10th, 13:04) and Corbin Young (15th, 13:26), seventh-grader Michael Gemma (18th, 13:31), and eighth-grader Patrick Whitmer (20th, 13:38), scored 64 points for Lowndes, good for first place. Wilcox and Deerfield-Windsor were second with 72 points. Elrod and his Grace Christian comrades were third with 105 points.


Team Standings, Middle School Boys, 2020 Lee County High Invitational

1. Lowndes, 64
2. Deerfield-Windsor, 72
3. Grace Christian, 105
4. Berrien County, 122
5. Lee County, 128
6. Dodge County, 184
7. Tift, 187
8. Thomas County, 225
9. Worth County, 245
10. Colquitt County, 254
11. Bainbridge, 262
12. Valwood, 287
13. Baconton Charter, 334
14. Seminole County, 374

Top Ten Middle School Boys, 2020 Lee County High Invitational

1. 12:16.0, Dylan Chambers (Lowndes) 8
2. 12:29.7, Charlie Willcox (Deerfield-Windsor) 8
3. 12:32.5, Walker Elrod (Grace Christian) 7
4. 12:36.4, Ethan Burnett (Valwood) 7
5. 12:36.8, John Moore (Deerfield-Windsor) 7
6. 12:52.9, Houston Hayes (Lee County) 7
7. 12:55.5, Ace Roberson (Dodge County) 8
8. 12:56.6, Dawson Mcmillan (Tift) 8
9. 13:00.4, Keith Eidson (Grace Christian) 8
10. 13:03.2, Gage Francis (Lowndes)

Lee County High School Cross-Country Invitational Champions 2008 - 2020
High School Girls 5K
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
13 September 2008	Westover, 28 points	20:34, Moneque English (Westover)
12 September 2009	Westover, 32	18:27, Megan Breitbach (Houston County)
11 September 2010
10 September 2011	Thomasville, 53	20:31, Megan Asadian (Houston County)
8 September 2012	Thomasville, 72	23:16, Erica Taylor (Westover)
21 September 2013	Jones County, 78	20:26, Paige Braswell (Bainbridge)
13 September 2014	Jones County, 61	19:33, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 9
12 September 2015	Jones County, 29	20:43, Kate Boland (Jones County)
10 September 2016	Southland, 67	18:34, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 11
9 September 2017	Deerfield-Windsor, 42	19:51, Camryn Bridges (Deerfield-Windsor) 12
6 September 2018	Tift County, 49	20:28, Emily Golden (Tift County) 11
7 September 2019	Lowndes, 54	19:43, Emily Golden (Tift County) 12
12 September 2020	Lowndes, 47	20:35, Anna James (Thomas County Central) 12
High School Boys 5K
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
13 September 2008	Tift County, 51 points	16:27, Hunter Hunneycutt (Tift County) 9
12 September 2009	Houston County, 25	16:45, Kasib Abdullah (Houston County)
11 September 2010
10 September 2011	Tift County, 73	15:38, Hunter Honeycutt (Tift County) 12
8 September 2012	Westover, 57	18:51, Josh Mason (Westover)
21 September 2013	Bainbridge, 61	16:04, Chase Harris (Bainbridge)
13 September 2014	Westover, 38	17:46, Matthew Baun (Valdosta)
12 September 2015	Lowndes, 52	17:42, Kaleb Wolfenden (Lowndes) 11
10 September 2016	Valdosta, 63	16:22, Kaleb Wolfenden (Lowndes) 12
9 September 2017	Deerfield-Windsor, 62	16:46, Henry Plowden (Westover) 10
6 September 2018	Veterans, 27	18:05, Henry Plowden (Westover) 11
7 September 2019	Lowndes, 47	16:37, Henry Plowden (Westover) 12
12 September 2020	Lowndes, 29	17:41, Jon Durham (Deerfield-Windsor) 11

Links

• Complete results of the 2020 Lee County High School Cross Country Invitational
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTYAoxNUOxDoafAfxMT8fHVF7r-ZzRznbPYMYSpL2l6PBTYsQjs1i5xN0JtrAgQ9l-wY4BFrsr3_C-P/pubhtml
  
  
• 2016 story, “Wolfenden and Funderburk repeat at Lee County High Invite”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/09/lee-county-xc-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Boland and Jones County, Wolfenden and Lowndes victorious at Lee County Invite”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/09/lee-county-xc-2015.html
  
  
• Wet or dry, find your next race on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2706

Anna James and Briley Reyes swat the competition at the Yellow Jacket Invitational

High School cross-country gets started early in Georgia, and in Thomasville it got started on Saturday morning, 29 August 2020, with Thomas County Central's 27th annual Yellow Jacket Invitational. The meet opened with Thomas County senior Anna James winning the girls' 5K in 20:06, while visiting Colquitt County took the team title with 41 points. Briley Reyes, a Davis High junior, put up a winning 18:16 in the boys' 5K, leading his team to first in the team standings with 36 points.


It was Anna James' second straight year of winning at the Yellow Jacket Invite. As a frosh, James had placed twelfth in the 2017 meet, running 22:57. The 2018 Invitational was canceled, but the meet returned in 2019 as did James. A junior, she ran 21:28, becoming Yellow Jacket champion for the first time. James' final appearance in the Yellow Jacket Invitational was her fastest yet. Her 20:06 put her more than 900 meters ahead of the next runner. James was also a three-time champion in the middle school girls' competition at the Yellow Jacket Invitational, winning in 2014, 2015, and 2016.


Clarissa Mallory, a Highland Christian sophomore, was runner-up in 24:33. Thomas County frosh Gracie Adams placed third in 24:54.


Adams made three finishers in the top ten for Thomas County Central, but Colquitt County put three athletes in the top ten--sophomore Mattie Rigsby (6th, 26:54), junior Evelin Vasquez (8th, 27:06), and junior Brooke Wright (9th, 27:17). Central's girls were still waiting for their third runner when Colquitt County put junior Ryley McCoy (11th, 27:59) and frosh Ansley Jackson (12th, 28:01) across the finish line, giving the Packers 41 points and first place. Central was second with 49 points. Brookwood placed third with points, led by the seventh place showing of sophomore Katie Knifer (27:05).


2020 Yellow Jacket XC Invitational Team Standings, High School Girls

1. Colquitt County, 41
2. Thomas County Central, 49
3. Brookwood, 69
4. Bainbridge, 77
5. Cook, 106

Top Ten High School Girls, 27th annual Yellow Jacket XC Invitational

1. 20:05.26, Anna James (Thomas County Central) 12
2. 24:32.39, Clarissa Mallory (Highland Christian) 10
3. 24:53.44, Gracie Adams (Thomas County Central) 9
4. 25:34.82, Rylan Bland (Bainbridge) 10
5. 26:26.70, Haydyn Klock (Bainbridge) 9
6. 26:53.56, Mattie Rigsby (Colquitt County) 10
7. 27:04.31, Katie Knifer (Brookwood) 10
8. 27:05.67, Evelin Vasquez (Colquitt County) 11
9. 27:16.46, Brooke Wright (Colquitt County) 11
10. 27:44.08, Emma Swarc (Brookwood)

The harriers of Davis High had never ventured from Hazlehurst, Georgia to the Yellow Jacket Invitational, even though the Davis mascot is also a Yellow Jacket. The Yellow Jackets from Hazlehurst made the most of their Thomasville debut. Davis junior Briley Reyes won the boys' 5K in 18:16, and Davis frosh took third 18:34, a few steps behind the 18:30 turned in by Cairo senior Elias Lopez-Gomez.


The Davis Yellow Jackets finished up their scoring with performances by juniors Levi Manning (11th, 19:36), Skyler Cravey (13th, 19:56), and Logan Carelock (20th, 20:58). That sufficed to give the Davis boys 36 points and a team title.


Colquitt County was second in the eight-team field, scoring 60 points behind the sixth place, 19:14 showing of Packer junior Hayes Lightsey. Led by junior Jared Davis (12th, 19:44), Bainbridge was third with 96 points.


2020 Yellow Jacket XC Invitational Team Standings, High School Boys

1. Davis, 36
2. Colquitt County, 60
3. Bainbridge, 96
4. Cook, 118
5. Cairo, 119
6. Thomasville, 157
7. Thomas County Central, 163
8. Grace Christian, 165

Top Ten High School Boys, 27th annual Yellow Jacket XC Invitational

1. 18:15.40, Briley Reyes (Davis) 11
2. 18:29.58, Elias Lopez-Gomez (Cairo) 12
3. 18:33.02, Pierce Parlor (Davis) 9
4. 18:46.82, Alex Buena (GCU Elite) 9
5. 18:47.35, Eliceo Lopez-Gomez (Cairo) 12
6. 19:13.05, Hayes Lightsey (Colquitt County) 11
7. 19:16.68, Jonah Berry (GCU Elite) 9
8. 19:29.17, Daniel Jones (Grace Christian) 12
9. 19:32.97, Kent Grayson (Brookwood) 7
10. 19:33.28, Aiden Keen (Highland Christian) 9

The middle school race was run immediately following the two high school races. Thomas County eighth-grader Cadence Curnalia won for the second year in a row, running 14:45--over half a minute faster than the 15:20 she ran in the 2019 race. Abby Stalvey of Brookwood, another eighth-grader, was runner-up in 15:56. Sixth-grader Savannah Dodd of Thomas County took third in 16:52.


Thomas County Middle's other scoring performances came from sixth-grader Josie Smith (19th, 21:41), eighth-grader Gabby Lindquist (21st, 22:30), and sixth-grader Julie Vonier (23rd, 23:50). That gave Thomas County 26 points and their third straight Yellow Jacket Invitational team title. MacIntyre Park was a close second with 29 points, led by the seventh-grader Kylie Alexander (10th, 19:27).


2020 Yellow Jacket XC Invitational Team Standings, Middle School Girls

1. Thomas County, 26
2. MacIntyre Park, 29

Top Ten Middle School Girls, 27th annual Yellow Jacket XC Invitational

1. 14:44.78, Cadence Curnalia (Thomas County) 8
2. 15:55.36, Abby Stalvey (Brookwood) 8
3. 16:51.75, Savannah Dodd (Thomas County) 6
4. 16:59.65, Kate Poitevint (Grace Christian) 8
5. 17:36.64, Addie Gregory (Cook) 8
6. 18:00.64, Sybil Lee (Grace Christian) 8
7. 18:15.60, Ava Lorette (Cook) 8
8. 18:28.93, Addison Gamble (Brookwood) 7
9. 19:10.70, Kara Overman (Grace Christian) 6
10. 19:26.94, Kylie Alexander (MacIntyre Park) 7

Caden McDaniel was first across the finish line in the Yellow Jacket Invitational's middle school boys' race; the Cook eighth-grader covered the course in 13:54. Walker Elrod, a Grace Christian seventh-grader, took second in 14:20. Bainbridge eighth-grader Aidan Angle was third in 14:41.


Cook sixth-grader Harris Holley joined McDaniel in the top ten, placing fourth in 14:46. Grayson Kennedy, a Cook seventh-grader, also had a top-ten showing, sixth in 15:34. Cook's remaining two scorers were seventh-grader Cooper Exum (13th, 16:29) and eighth-grader Landon Ray (19th, 17:11), giving their team 41 points and first place in a field of six teams. Led by sixth-grader Mason Tillman (9th, 15:55), Thomas County took second with 68 points. Grace Christian was third with 82 points.


2020 Yellow Jacket XC Invitational Team Standings, Middle School Boys

1. Cook, 41
2. Thomas County, 68
3. Grace Christian, 82
4. Bainbridge, 85
5. Brookwood, 88
6. Community Christian, 139

Top Ten Middle School Boys, 27th annual Yellow Jacket XC Invitational

1. 13:53.56, Caden McDaniel (Cook) 8
2. 14:19.65, Walker Elrod (Grace Christian) 7
3. 14:40.97, Aidan Angle (Bainbridge) 8
4. 14:45.51, Harris Holley (Cook) 6
5. 15:05.53, Owen Earnest (Grace Christian) 8
6. 15:33.35, Grayson Kennedy (Cook) 7
7. 15:35.40, Corbin Thompson (Bainbridge) 7
8. 15:49.02, Tim Watson (Thomas County) 8
9. 15:54.07, Mason Tillman (Thomas County) 6
10. 16:10.37, James Mizell (Brookwood) 7

Yellow Jacket Cross Country Invitational winners, 2008 - 2017
High School Boys
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
18 October 2008	Tift County, 32 points	16:59, Hunter Honeycutt (Tift County)
17 October 2009
16 October 2010
15 October 2011
20 October 2012
19 October 2013	Maclay, 41	16:13, Chase Harris (Bainbridge) 11
25 October 2014	Thomas County Central, 74	16:25, Wil Luca (Leon) 12
17 October 2015	Leon, 36	15:47, Poncherella Leonard (Bainbridge) 11
15 October 2016	Veterans, 54	17:13, Colby Jones (Lee County) 11
14 October 2017	Veterans, 32	17:04, Brishen House (Lowndes) 12
12 October 2019	Colquitt County, 68	17:21, Stokes Moore (Bainbridge) 12
29 August 2020	Davis, 36	18:16, Briley Reyes (Davis) 11
High School Girls
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
18 October 2008	Valdosta, 30 points	21:12, JaCourtney Alexander (Cairo)
17 October 2009
16 October 2010
15 October 2011
20 October 2012
19 October 2013	Maclay, 30	19:44, Paige Braswell (Bainbridge) 12
25 October 2014	Berrien County, 47	20:58, Rebekah Smith (Thomasville) 11
17 October 2015	Leon, 44	20:07, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 10
15 October 2016	Lee County, 83	17:50, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 11
14 October 2017	Valwood, 80	17:45, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 12
12 October 2019	Aucilla Christian, 32	21:28, Anna James (Thomas County Central) 11
29 August 2020	Colquitt County, 41	20:06, Anna James (Thomas County Central) 12
Do you have results from the missing years? Please let me know!

Links

• Complete results of Thomas County Central's 2020 Yellow Jacket Cross-Country Invitational
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRGzVf9Jdc4yKdqpr_tmm4QWXEyZ-2ZM2ii40dEl3YdoFpu-7FwBt-KavFOQKHI6J7StxAOXoLpjW5U/pubhtml
  
  
• 2017 story, “Funderburk blazes a valedictory 17:44.50 at the Yellow Jacket Invitational”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/10/yellowjacket-xc-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Elizabeth Funderburk goes 17:50 in Thomasville at the Yellow Jacket Invitational”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/10/yellowjacket-xc-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Poncherella Leonard and Elizabeth Funderburk have wings at Yellow Jacket Invite”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/10/yellowjacket-xc-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Wil Luca, Rebekah Smith finish the season right at Yellow Jacket Cross Country Meet”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/10/yellowjacket-xc-2014.html
  
  
• Can't get an invitation? Find an open race on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2705

St Pat's Day wins for Dustin Reynolds and Anna James at the Heritage Run

By 17 March 2018, spring break at Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee was almost over. Classes would resume on Monday, 19 March 2018. That meant that Dustin Reynolds, a native of Brinson, Georgia, would soon be heading back to school and his duties as a frosh distance runner on the Bryan Lions track team. But that Saturday morning, before returning to Tennessee, Reynolds was on the streets of Thomasville, Georgia, winning the Heritage Run 5K in 18:20. He finished the five-kilometer race with a lead of nearly half a kilometer on the next runner. Thomasville's Anna James took time out from her frosh year track season at Thomas County Central High to win the Heritage Run women's title, placing fourth overall in 21:38.


Nolan Barnes, an eighth-grader on the Thomasvillle's MacIntyre Park Middle School cross-country team, was second overall in 20:15. Erik Anderson of the Tallahassee, Florida Gulf Winds Track Club took third in 20:28. Stephen Sullivan of Thomasville was the first master runner in the race and the fourth male finisher, placing fifth overall in 22:30.


Dominique Messerschmidt was second in the women's standings and sixth overall in 24:01. Sheila Roberts was the top woman master and the third female finisher, ninth overall in 25:20. Maggie May, a frosh on the cross-country team at Thomasville High, was fourth in the women's division and fifteenth overall in 27:29.


174 athletes finished the 2018 Heritage Run 5K. The Thomasville YMCA hosted the race.


Top Ten Men, 2018 Heritage Run 5K

1. 18:20, Dustin Reynolds (M, Overall)
2. 20:15, Nolan Barnes (M, 13 - 19)
3. 20:28, Erik Anderson (M, 30 - 39)
4. 22:30, Stephen Sullivan (M, 40 - 49)
5. 24:38, Tony Troiano (M, 50 - 59)
6. 24:51, Jason Griffin (M, 40 - 49)
7. 25:32, Thomas Jones (M, 20 - 29)
8. 25:47, Drew Pope (M, 40 - 49)
9. 26:24, Zion Colson (M, 13 - 19)
10. 26:52, Neal Johnson (M, 50 - 59)

Top Ten Women, 2018 Heritage Run 5K

1. 21:38, Anna James (F, Overall)
2. 24:01, Dominique Messerschmidt (F, 20 - 29)
3. 25:20, Sheila Roberts (F, 40 - 49)
4. 27:29, Maggie May (F, 13 - 19)
5. 27:30, Logan Jaminson (F, 20 - 29)
6. 28:39, Janelle Wehner (F, 30 - 39)
7. 28:59, Hanah Taylor (F, 20 - 29)
8. 29:31, Tory Schofill (F, 40 - 49)
9. 29:39, Nancy Hiers (F, 40 - 49)
10. 31:33, Amanda May (F)

Links

• Complete results of the 2018 Thomasville, Georgia Heritage Run 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQ784Pzn4v6tlIWQqeIDCUoMsYHa_ehMk_l8-LB2gqLmVa_yHdK0bMhwSRmfM1qwPaWs-DfQHw-p_SP/pubhtml
  
  
• Thomasville YMCA
  http://www.ymca-thomasville.org
  
  
• Future races in Thomasville and elsewhere in the Tallahassee region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2224

Kelly and Caltová win an extra-long half marathon at the Red Nose Run

From 2011 to 2016, the Thomasville, Georgia Junior Service League hosted an annual 5K road race, the Red Nose Run. From 2012 to 2014 the event also included a half-marathon. By 2017 the Junior Service League was thinking of bringing back the half marathon, and in September they held and online opinion poll to see if there was any support for the idea. The opinions that mattered, though, were those of the 61 athletes who actually showed up at Thomas University on Saturday morning, 16 December 2017, and ran the half-marathon at the seventh annual Red Nose Run. Lake Park, Georgia athlete Ryan Kelly was the fastest of those 61, winning the race in 1:31:54. Kateřina Caltová, a Czech Republic athlete currently residing in Tallahassee, Florida, was the first woman in the race, placing third overall in 1:37:15.


The half-marathon course at the Red Nose Run is USATF-certified, but that only guarantees accuracy if the race follows the certified route. When the Thomasville 13.1-mile race was first run in 2012, the runners were directed to turn around early on Metcalf Road, making the race about a mile short. Another mishap marred the 2017 revival of the half-marathon. This time, less than half a mile from the starting line at Thomas University, the runners turned right onto Gordon Avenue instead of left.


"We ran past the course monitor who was cheering us on down the wrong road," reported Ryan Kelly.


The leaders had run more than three-quarters of a mile before Kelly realized what had happened. By the time he got the field turned around, even the slowest runners had gone a quarter-mile in the wrong direction before doubling back. Once back on the right course, Kelly went on to win the half marathon in 1:31:54. It wasn't as fast as the 1:23:18 winning time Kelly had posted at the 2013 Red Nose Run, but in 2014 he hadn't run close to fourteen miles. Tallahassee, Florida's Jack McDermott was the first master runner in the race, placing second overall in 1:36:38. Garret Padgham of Crawfordville, Florida was the third male finisher and fourth overall in 1:42:01.


Kateřina Caltová, the women's champion, also didn't come close to her best time for a half marathon, but the Florida State University student's 1:37:15 was most likely her best time for whatever distance she ended up running that day. Laura McDermott of Tallahassee was the women's runner-up, placing sixth overall in 1:43:56. Valdosta, Georgia athlete Sandra Griffin was the first woman master and third female finisher, 1:45:46.


Top Ten Men, 2017 Red Nose Run Half Marathon

1. 1:31:53.76, Ryan Kelly (M, 39) Lake Park, GA
2. 1:36:37.76, Jack McDermott (M, 48) Tallahassee, FL
3. 1:42:00.68, Garrett Padgham (M, 34) Crawfordville, FL
4. 1:43:37.82, Dan Scott (M, 43) Thomasville, GA
5. 1:44:49.93, Alec Munger (M, 14) Valdosta, GA
6. 1:49:08.06, Gareth Pyle (M, 38) Thomasville, GA
7. 1:50:47.58, Duane Joiner (M, 41) Ochlocknee, GA
8. 1:50:49.36, Nic Plenge (M, 40) Thomasville, GA
9. 1:52:24.96, Philip Sura (M, 47) Tallahassee, FL
10. 1:53:11.37, Cruz Pozo (M, 11) Thomasville, GA

Top Ten Women, 2017 Red Nose Run Half Marathon

1. 1:37:14.45, Kateřina Caltová (F, 24) Tallahassee, FL
2. 1:43:55.15, Laura McDermott (F, 38) Tallahassee, FL
3. 1:45:45.78, Sandra Griffin (F, 50) Valdosta, GA
4. 1:52:25.41, Emma Szwarc (F, 15) Thomasville, GA
5. 1:53:39.57, Nancy Stedman (F, 56) Tallahassee, FL
6. 1:57:09.70, Melissa Raffensperger (F, 38) Tallahassee, FL
7. 1:59:01.13, Shea Walker (F, 38) Valdosta, GA
8. 1:59:26.57, Grace Kennedy (F, 28) Tallahassee, FL
9. 2:00:46.98, Kim Munger (F, 46) Valdosta, GA
10. 2:01:09.64, Merry Emily Downing (F, 26) Marietta, GA

The 5K runners set out at the same time from the same starting line as the half marathoners, so their race was also too long by varying amounts. Anthony Derroo was first in the more-than-five-kilometers race, edging Ryan Kennedy of Tallahassee 23:21 to 23:22. In spite of the extra distance, Anna James of Thomasville was first in the women's standings for the second year in a row, placing third overall in 24:17.


61 athetes finished the 2017 Red Nose Run half marathon, with another 151 competeting the 5K. Both races were chip timed by Event Technical Services, Inc, of Sylvester, Georgia.


Top Ten Men, 2017 Red Nose Run 5K

1. 23:20.36, Anthony Derroo (M, ??)
2. 23:21.85, Ryan Kennedy (M, 26) Tallahassee, FL
3. 25:02.90, Nathaniel Bellamy (M, 15) Thomasville, GA
4. 27:26.00, Joshua May (M, 12) Thomasville, GA
5. 27:53.48, Justin Williams (M, 40)
6. 28:04.64, Colin Szwarc (M, 12) Thomasville, GA
7. 28:40.43, Chris Bracken (M, 40) Thomasville, GA
8. 28:43.90, Brian Szwarc (M, 52) Thomasville, GA
9. 28:59.32, Jim Tully (M, 71) Lamont, FL
10. 29:01.06, Bryce Murkerson (M, 15) Hawkinsville, GA

Top Ten Women, 2017 Red Nose Run 5K

1. 24:16.20, Anna James (F, 14) Thomasville, GA
2. 25:28.44, Rosalie White (F, 23) Thomasville, GA
3. 28:15.78, Donica Williams (F, 38)
4. 28:57.02, Meshea Hardeman (F, 28) Valdosta, GA
5. 29:06.67, Jodi Stuckey (F, 33) Moultrie, GA
6. 29:08.23, Anika Imhof (F, 11) Thomasville, GA
7. 29:10.97, Krista Peace (F, 26) Thomasville, GA
8. 29:23.88, Elise McPherson (F, 14) Thomasville, GA
9. 29:28.25, Keara Conrad (F, 35) Cottondale, FL
10. 29:33.83, Mary Sue Thompson (F, 35) Moultrie, GA

Thomasville, Georgia JSL Red Nose Run winners, 2011 - 2016
Date	Distance	Men	Women	Finishers
10 December 2011	5K	17:08, Stephen Robbins	19:56, Angelina Horne	272
15 December 2012	Half Marathon	73:51, Charlie Johnson	83:05, Sarah Batt	96
	5K	21:04, Charlie Lang	23:41, Lindsey Poole	349
14 December 2013	Half Marathon	83:18, Ryan Kelly	93:22, Sarah Batt	74
	5K	20:38, Charlie Lang	23:05, Angela Cipriani	237
13 December 2014	Half Marathon	90:46, Camilo Ordonez	94:15, Melissa Thompson	47
	5K	19:33, Charlie Lang	22:58, Lori Richardson	160
12 December 2015	5K	17:44, Hunter Phillips	20:00, Melissa Thompson	199
10 December 2016	5K	18:46, Conley Wilhelm	21:21, Anna James	107
16 December 2017	Half Marathon	91:54, Ryan Kelly	97:15, Kateřina Caltová	61
	5K	23:21, Anthony Derroo	24:17, Anna James	151
The 5K was the sole race contested in 2011 and 2015-2016. In 2012 the half marathon course was cut short. In 2012 - 2016 the 5K was run on USATF certified course GA12116WC. In 2013 and 2014 the half marathon was run on USATF certified course GA12117WC. In 2017 both the half marathon and 5K were long by varying amounts.

Links

• Complete results of the 2017 Red Nose Run 5K at gulfwinds.org
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRKtIDF888pI7yI13-CmbEgCYn_n7uVyUmWOvkzAxOdBWGwk0Axl9sfMTbP2qaBx4Prctz-hRGfTy_O/pubhtml
  
  
• 2016 story, “Thomas County harriers Wilhelm and James win the Red Nose Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/12/red-nose-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Phillips and Thompson win a shorter, faster Red Nose Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/12/red-nose-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “A half marathon of Red Hills for Ordonez and Thompson in the Red Nose Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/12/red-nose-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Kelly and Batt rule in the Red Nose Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/12/red-nose-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Red Nose course comes up short, but not Charlie Johnson”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/12/red-nose-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “No Rudolph here; Robbins and Horne win Red Nose 5K”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/12/red-nose-2011.html
  
  
• USATF course certification map GA12116WC, Red Nose Run 5K
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=GA12116WC
  
  
• Find upcoming runs in the region on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2138

Oldham and Bass excel at the new and lengthier Tutus & Tennis Shoes Run

The South Georgia Ballet successfully debuted their Tutus & Tennis Shoes 5K road race on the streets of Thomasville, Georgia in 2016. On Saturday morning, 9 September 2017, the SGB not only brought the event back, making it annual, they also added a 10K. Daniel Oldham had won the inaugural 5K, but decided to go with the longer race in 2017. Doubling the distance didn't faze Oldham; the Thomasville athlete won the Tutus & Tennis Shoes 10K in 44:30. Pavo, Georgia master runner Pollyanna Bass was the first woman in the race, placing fourth overall in 47:40.


Duane Joiner was the first master runner in the 10K, finishing second overall in 45:07. Chris Holt was third overall in 47:37.


Master runner Lori Rawlings was second in the women's standings and fifth overall in 51:51. Izzy Grayson was the third female finisher, sixth overall in 53:15.


Top Five Men, 2017 Tutus & Tennis Shoes 10K

1. 44:29.31, Daniel Oldham (M, 39)
2. 45:06.46, Duane Joiner (M, 41)
3. 47:36.33, Chris Holt (M, 35)
4. 55:29.26, Kyle June (M, 36)
5. 57:30.49, Taylor Shiver (M, 33)

Top Five Women, 2017 Tutus & Tennis Shoes 10K

1. 47:39.13, Pollyanna Bass (F, 45)
2. 51:50.46, Lori Rawlings (F, 49)
3. 53:14.71, Izzy Grayson (F, )
4. 58:36.95, Carter Vann (F, 25)
5. 58:57.09, Debra Hawkins (F, 49)

The 10K was an addition to the 5K, not a replacement, so the shorter race was back for a second year. Jack Saussy, an eighth-grader on the Brookwood School cross-country team, won the shorter race in 20:54. Anna James, a frosh on the Thomas County Central High cross-country team, took the women's title, placing third overall in 21:25.


Wyatt Whitfield, another Brookwood cross-country runner, was the second male and second overall in 21:07. Brookwood eighth-grader Ben Parrott grabbed third in the men's standings, placing fifth overall in 23:51. Travis Miller was the fastest master runner in the race and the fourth male finisher, sixth overall in 23:53.


Olivia Miller placed second in the women's standings and fourth overall in 22:41. Jodi Stuckey was the third woman and eighth overall in 25:17. Melissa Bruhn was the top woman master and fifth female finisher, fifteenth overall in 27:45.


19 athletes finished the 10K while another 118 completed the 5K. Miles and Minutes, LLC, of Tallahassee, Florida timed the races.


Top Ten Men, 2017 Tutus & Tennis Shoes 5K

1. 20:53.12, Jack Saussy (M, 14)
2. 21:06.30, Wyatt Whitfield (M, 16)
3. 23:50.23, Ben Parrot (M, 14)
4. 23:52.73, Travis Miller (M, 47)
5. 23:55.42, Jacob Smith (M, 36)
6. 25:41.08, John Wheeler (M, 50)
7. 26:33.74, Morris Davis (M, 61)
8. 26:49.80, Chris Wright (M, 48)
9. 27:37.27, John Norman (M, 48)
10. 27:44.38, Don Bruhn (M, 54)

Top Ten Women, 2017 Tutus & Tennis Shoes 5K

1. 21:24.09, Anna James (F, 14)
2. 22:40.01, Olivia Miller (F, 16)
3. 25:16.19, Jodi Stuckey (F, 33)
4. 25:32.61, Mary Sue Thompson (F, 34)
5. 27:44.71, Melissa Bruhn (F, 50)
6. 27:50.21, Elise Mcpherson (F, 13)
7. 28:07.02, Lisa Grimes (F, 34)
8. 28:32.89, Katie Chastain (F, 36)
9. 29:35.35, Samantha Knight (F, )
10. 29:42.92, Avery Bentley (F, 9)

Links

• Complete results of the 2017 Tutus And Tennis Shoes 10K and 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQMGrag5NQEX4eu3zhciC5tGKgRhTyU5ZNja4dLzkfdHxg0FGvtKfqFMPdPg3xbdimkqe9t1icedsDc/pubhtml
  
  
• 2016 story, “Oldham and Hall take the Tutus & Tennis Shoes 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/09/south-georgia-ballet-2016.html
  
  
• Find another race where you can wear your tutu on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2077

Thomas County harriers Wilhelm and James win the Red Nose Run

In Thomasville, Georgia on Saturday morning, 10 December 2016, it was clear that cross-country season was over the local schools. The big clue was that so many fast young distance runners were free to race on the roads that morning in the Thomasville Junior Service League's sixth annual Red Nose Run 5K. Thomas County Central senior Conley Wilhelm won the 3.1-mile race, going the distance in 18:46. On the women's side, Thomas County Middle School eighth-grader Anna James took the title in 21:21, placing fourth overall.


Wilhelm and James weren't the only school-age athletes on the starting line at Thomas University that morning. Sixteen-year-old Hank Wirick was the overall runner-up in the 5K with a 20:56. Matthew Lewis, a seventh-grader on the MacIntyre Park Middle School cross-country team, was third in 21:14. Austin Willis, another MacIntyre Park Harrier, was the fourth male finisher in 21:53. Moultrie, Georgia's Jared Toman, sixth overall in 21:54, was the first runner in the race old enough to run for U.S. Congress. Bill Hooks of Thomasville, though, was old enough to be President. Hooks was the fastest master runner in the race, placing seventh overall in 22:30.


Rosalie White, a 22-year-old alumna of the Thomasville High cross-country team, was second in the women's standings, coming in ninth overall in 23:10. Moultrie athlete Rebecca Toman was the third woman and tenth overall in 23:46. Emma Szwarc, an eighth-grader on the Brookwood School cross-country team, was the fourth female and fourteenth overall in 24:10. Angela Duck of Quitman, Georgia was the first woman master and fifth female finisher, fifteenth overall in 24:21.


107 athletes finished the 2016 Red Nose Run, with another 44 completing a one-mile fun run. A Course/Line, LLC, of Valdosta, Georgia timed the race and provided finish line services.


Top Ten Men, 2016 Red Nose Run 5K

1. 18:45.1, Conley Wilhelm (M, 18) Thomasville, GA
2. 20:55.8, Hank Wirick (M, 16) Thomasville, GA
3. 21:13.2, Matthew Lewis (M, 12) Thomasville, GA
4. 21:52.5, Austin Willis (M, 12) Thomasville, GA
5. 21:53.2, Jared Toman (M, 39) Moultrie, GA
6. 22:29.7, Bill Hooks (M, 40) Thomasville, GA
7. 22:56.1, Travis MacGregor (M, 19) Montrose, CO
8. 23:54.2, Jacob Smith (M, 35) Coolidge, GA
9. 23:57.6, Brian Szwarc (M, 51) Thomasville, GA
10. 23:58.8, Aaron Sewell (M, 20) Warner Robins, GA

Top Ten Women, 2016 Red Nose Run 5K

1. 21:20.4, Anna James (F, 13) Thomasville, GA
2. 23:10.0, Rosalie White (F, 22) Thomasville, GA
3. 23:45.4, Rebecca Toman (F, 34) Moultrie, GA
4. 24:09.1, Emma Szwarc (F, 14) Thomasville, GA
5. 24:20.7, Angela Duck (F, 43) Quitman, GA
6. 25:31.6, Tracy Davis (F, 49) Pavo, GA
7. 26:06.3, Abrie Sellers (F, 32) Thomasville, GA
8. 26:09.4, Jennifer Hatchell (F, 39) Thomasville, GA
9. 26:35.6, Bailey Dzurick (F, 34) Pavo, GA
10. 26:37.9, Elise McPherson (F, 13) Thomasville, GA

Thomasville, Georgia JSL Red Nose Run winners, 2011 - 2016
Date	Distance	Men	Women	Finishers
10 December 2011	5K	17:08, Stephen Robbins	19:56, Angelina Horne	272
15 December 2012	Half Marathon	73:51, Charlie Johnson	83:05, Sarah Batt	96
	5K	21:04, Charlie Lang	23:41, Lindsey Poole	349
14 December 2013	Half Marathon	83:18, Ryan Kelly	93:22, Sarah Batt	74
	5K	20:38, Charlie Lang	23:05, Angela Cipriani	237
13 December 2014	Half Marathon	90:46, Camilo Ordonez	94:15, Melissa Thompson	47
	5K	19:33, Charlie Lang	22:58, Lori Richardson	160
12 December 2015	5K	17:44, Hunter Phillips	20:00, Melissa Thompson	199
10 December 2016	5K	18:46, Conley Wilhelm	21:21, Anna James	107
The 5K was the sole race contested in 2011 and 2015-2016. In 2012 the half marathon course was cut short. In 2012 - 2016 the 5K was run on USATF certified course GA12116WC. In 2013 and 2014 the half marathon was run on USATF certified course GA12117WC

Links

• Complete results of the 2016 Red Nose Run 5K at gulfwinds.org
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1e63r7vhXV8FlP_qyBz6TLwF22jDDbk2g90J-YEgS7mE/pubhtml
  
  
• 2015 story, “Phillips and Thompson win a shorter, faster Red Nose Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/12/red-nose-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “A half marathon of Red Hills for Ordonez and Thompson in the Red Nose Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/12/red-nose-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Kelly and Batt rule in the Red Nose Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/12/red-nose-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Red Nose course comes up short, but not Charlie Johnson”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/12/red-nose-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “No Rudolph here; Robbins and Horne win Red Nose 5K”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/12/red-nose-2011.html
  
  
• USATF course certification map GA12116WC, Red Nose Run 5K
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=GA12116WC
  
  
• Find upcoming runs in the region on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1835

Elizabeth Funderburk goes 17:50 in Thomasville at the Yellow Jacket Invitational

By mid-October, high school cross-country teams in Florida and Georgia are looking toward their respective state championship series. But in South Georgia the regular season isn't over until after Thomas County Central hosts the Yellow Jacket Invitational. So on Saturday morning, 15 October 2016, harriers from Southwest Georgia and the Big Bend of Florida gathered at Thomas County Middle School for the 24th annual Yellow Jacket Invitational.


The meet opened with a spectacular run by Elizabeth Funderburk in the high school girls' 5K. Funderburk had won the race in 2015, but in 2016 the Colquitt County junior crushed the field, finishing 600 meters ahead of the next runner in 17:50. Alli Hay of Pataula Charter was second in 20:16. Pelham's Monica Webb edged Mackenzie Walls of Veterans for third, 21:08 to 21:13.


Veterans had a second runner in the top ten, Byrnn Wilson, who was ninth in 22:17. Lee County only had one top ten finisher, Ansley Cain, eighth overall in 22:09. But Lee County also had scoring performances from Caroline Taylor (16th, 23:04), Ramsay Miller (17th, 13:25), Rachel Kiesau (20th, 23:47), and Ashley Bennett (34th, 25:18). Lee County had 83 points and the team title; Veterans scored 89 for a close second. Host team Thomas County Central was third with 113 points, led by the seventh-place 21:58 finish of Cara Eaton.


2016 Yellow Jacket XC Invitational Team Standings, High School Girls

1. Lee County, 83
2. Veterans, 89
3. Thomas County Central, 113
4. Worth County, 127
5. Colquitt County, 135
6. Bainbridge, 165
7. Berrien County, 175
8. Lincoln, 207
9. Bradwell Institute, 209
10. Baconton Charter, 252
11. Pelham, 265
12. Albany, 280
13. Thomasville, 282
14. Furlow Charter, 373
15. Cairo, 410

Top 15 High School Girls, 24th annual Yellow Jacket XC Invitational

1. 17:49.80 ~ Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 11
2. 20:15.36 ~ Alli Hay (Pataula Charter) 12
3. 21:07.34 ~ Monica Webb (Pelham) 12
4. 21:12.11 ~ Mackenzie Walls (Veterans) 9
5. 21:42.55 ~ Nicole Presley (Baconton Charter) 12
6. 21:55.09 ~ Riley O'Linn (Valwood) 11
7. 21:57.15 ~ Cara Eaton (Thomas County Central) 11
8. 22:08.48 ~ Ansley Cain (Lee County) 12
9. 22:16.05 ~ Byrnn Wilson (Veterans) 11
10. 22:17.93 ~ Rebecca Chandler (Berrien County) 9
11. 22:27.39 ~ Kailey Brough (Bradwell Institute) 11
12. 22:39.32 ~ Brianna Zupko (Worth County) 9
13. 22:43.27 ~ Uriyah Davis (Bainbridge) 11
14. 22:59.09 ~ Elizabeth Santiago (Bradwell Institute) 12
15. 23:02.25 ~ Angela Cipriani (Thomas County Central) 12

There were no 600-meter leads in the high school boys' 5K, a much closer race. Lee County junior Colby Jones won the race in 17:13, just ahead of the 17:18 posted by runner-up Jake Merritt of Colquitt County. Brandon Taylor was just a few more steps back, third in 17:22.


As in the girls' race, the competition for the team title was a showdown between Lee County and Veterans. Lee County had three runners in the top ten--Jones, Hunter Hatfield (4th, 17:40), and Benjamin Phillips (9th, 18:31). Veterans only had a pair of top-ten finishers, Tyree Steele (5th, 17:43) and Robbie Griffin (7th, 18:19). But while Lee County was waiting for a fourth scorer, Veterans put Griffin Hodges (13th, 18:41), Tyler Webb (14th, 18:42), and Aamiri Ducksworth (15th, 18:43) across the finish line--as well as pushers Isaac Jennings (16th, 18:46) and Brett Horton (21st, 18:55). Veterans had 54 points, giving the boys from Kathleen, Georgia the team title. Lee County was second with 66 points. Led by frosh Daniel Stewart (8th, 18:26), Albany was third with 109 points.


2016 Yellow Jacket XC Invitational Team Standings, High School Boys

1. Veterans, 54
2. Lee County, 66
3. Albany, 109
4. Thomas County Central, 143
5. Lincoln, 150
6. Bainbridge, 152
7. Berrien County, 197
8. Worth County, 201
9. Colquitt County, 246
10. Leon, 252
11. Bradwell Institute, 290
12. Baconton Charter, 329
13. Thomasville, 365
14. Cairo, 383
15. Pelham, 403
16. Furlow Charter, 421

Top 15 High School Boys, 24th annual Yellow Jacket XC Invitational

1. 17:12.50 ~ Colby Jones (Lee County) 11
2. 17:17.10 ~ Jake Merritt (Colquitt County) 11
3. 17:21.80 ~ Brandon Taylor (Thomas County Central) 12
4. 17:39.94 ~ Hunter Hatfield (Lee County) 11
5. 17:42.85 ~ Tyree Steele (Veterans)
6. 17:51.98 ~ John Bohnstengel (Leon) 11
7. 18:18.66 ~ Robbie Griffin (Veterans) 11
8. 18:25.58 ~ Daniel Stewart (Albany) 9
9. 18:30.82 ~ Benjamin Phillips (Lee County) 9
10. 18:33.95 ~ Jackson Roberts (Leon) 9
11. 18:37.00 ~ Gian Kerlegon (Albany) 11
12. 18:38.70 ~ Cedric Williams (Albany) 12
13. 18:40.06 ~ Griffin Hodges (Veterans) 10
14. 18:41.76 ~ Tyler Webb (Veterans) 12
15. 18:42.11 ~ Aamiri Ducksworth (Veterans) 10

For the second year in a row, Anna James took first in the middle school girls competition. James, a Thomas County eighth-grader, ran the two-mile course in 15:23. Maya Wynn of Furlow Charter was second in 16:00, and Maddie Harper of Berrien County came in third in 16:11.


Harper was followed across the finish line by the rest of the Berrien County scorers--Gaylon Griner (4th, 16:35), Hannah Dodd (5th, 16:43), Stephanie Kimbrel (6th, 16:45), and Zoey Hodge (7th, 16:59). Those five runners gave Berrien County a mathematically unbeatable score of 25 points and the middle school girls' team title. James' Thomas County team was second with 72 points, just ahead of the 76 scored by third-place Colquitt County.


2016 Yellow Jacket XC Invitational Team Standings, Middle School Girls

1. Berrien County, 25
2. Thomas County, 72
3. Colquitt County, 76
4. Pataula Charter, 105
5. Furlow Charter, 131
6. Baconton Charter, 147

Top 15 Middle School Girls, 24th annual Yellow Jacket XC Invitational

1. 15:22.47 ~ Anna James (Thomas County) 8
2. 15:59.18 ~ Maya Wynn (Furlow Charter) 8
3. 16:10.26 ~ Maddie Harper (Berrien County) 8
4. 16:34.86 ~ Gaylon Griner (Berrien County) 6
5. 16:42.95 ~ Hannah Dodd (Berrien County) 8
6. 16:44.88 ~ Stephanie Kimbrel (Berrien County) 8
7. 16:58.54 ~ Zoey Hodge (Berrien County) 7
8. 17:18.88 ~ Maggie Hand (Berrien County) 6
9. 17:26.55 ~ Emma Giddens (Berrien County) 7
10. 17:30.81 ~ Abigail Dismukes (Pataula Charter) 4
11. 17:36.86 ~ Makenna Maroney (Thomas County) 8
12. 17:48.21 ~ Evelyn Vasquez (Colquitt County) 7
13. 17:51.29 ~ Brianna Thornton (Pataula Charter) 5
14. 17:51.80 ~ Aixa Santiago (Bradwell Institute) 6
15. 18:04.91 ~ Kathrine Brooke Wright (Colquitt County) 7

Lawson Brinkley of MacIntyre Park took first in the middle school boys' two-mile in 14:04, comfortably ahead of the 14:13 posted by runner-up Nicholas Samuel of Fairview. It was the third race in ten days for Samuel, coming after the Leon County Championship on 5 October 2016 and the Tallahassee Open on 13 October 2016. Chandler Gaskins of Berrien County placed third in 14:42.

MacIntyre Park placed two more runners in the top ten--Matthew Lewis (6th, 15:15) and Nolan Barnes (10th, 15:35). Lane Whiddon (12th, 15:45) and Andrew Geyer (17th, 15:54) finished the scoring for MacIntyre Park, giving their team a winning 38 points. Berrien County squeaked ahead of Lee County for second 65 points to 66.


2016 Yellow Jacket XC Invitational Team Standings, Middle School Boys

1. MacIntyre Park, 38
2. Berrien County, 65
3. Lee County, 66
4. Colquitt County, 115
5. Thomas County, 164
6. Furlow Charter, 183
7. Baconton Charter, 184
8. Worth County, 189
9. Whigham, 215

Top 15 Middle School Boys, 24th annual Yellow Jacket XC Invitational

1. 14:03.75 ~ Lawson Brinkley (MacIntyre Park) 8
2. 14:12.33 ~ Nicholas Samuel (Unattached, FL) 8
3. 14:41.87 ~ Chandler Gaskins (Berrien County) 7
4. 14:45.95 ~ Jonathan Clowers (Pelham) 8
5. 14:49.86 ~ Case Gregory (Colquitt County) 7
6. 15:14.19 ~ Matthew Lewis (MacIntyre Park) 7
7. 15:23.18 ~ Jaquez Jones (Baconton Charter) 8
8. 15:31.61 ~ Chris Tyson (Berrien County) 8
9. 15:34.62 ~ Andrew Harnage (Berrien County) 6
10. 15:34.80 ~ Nolan Barnes (MacIntyre Park) 7
11. 15:38.20 ~ Trent Mays (Lee County) 9
12. 15:44.70 ~ Lane Whiddon (MacIntyre Park) 7
13. 15:46.44 ~ Hunter Janes (Lee County) 6
14. 15:47.98 ~ Edward Ostrander (Lee County) 7
15. 15:49.88 ~ Luke Paramore (Worth County) 6

Yellow Jacket Cross Country Invitational winners, 2008 - 2016
High School Boys
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
18 October 2008	Tift County, 32 points	16:59, Hunter Honeycutt (Tift County)
17 October 2009
16 October 2010
15 October 2011
20 October 2012
19 October 2013	Maclay, 41	16:13, Chase Harris (Bainbridge) 11
25 October 2014	Thomas County Central, 74	16:25, Wil Luca (Leon) 12
17 October 2015	Leon, 36	15:47, Poncherella Leonard (Bainbridge) 11
15 October 2016	Veterans, 54	17:13, Colby Jones (Lee County) 11
High School Girls
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
18 October 2008	Valdosta, 30 points	21:12, JaCourtney Alexander (Cairo)
17 October 2009
16 October 2010
15 October 2011
20 October 2012
19 October 2013	Maclay, 30	19:44, Paige Braswell (Bainbridge) 12
25 October 2014	Berrien County, 47	20:58, Rebekah Smith (Thomasville) 11
17 October 2015	Leon, 44	20:07, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 10
15 October 2016	Lee County, 83	17:50, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 11
Do you have results from the missing years? Please let me know!

Links

• Complete results of Thomas County Central's 2016 Yellow Jacket Cross-Country Invitational
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1s0057vImPW1vYc1n84FVwDjXxGN_-1MMT5a_E-2GQF4/pubhtml
  
  
• 2015 story, “Poncherella Leonard and Elizabeth Funderburk have wings at Yellow Jacket Invite”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/10/yellowjacket-xc-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Wil Luca, Rebekah Smith finish the season right at Yellow Jacket Cross Country Meet”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/10/yellowjacket-xc-2014.html
  
  
• Can't get an invitation? Find an open race on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1800

Lincoln frosh Alyson Churchill stuns Southwest Georgia with an 18:06

In the early 1800s, Seminole raids from Spanish Florida into Georgia in the United States helped to precipitate the First Seminole War. Emulating those ninteenth-century raiders, high school athletes from Tallahassee, Florida showed up in Bainbridge, Georgia on Saturday morning, 17 September 2016, for Bainbridge High's seventeenth annual Bearcat Cross Country Invitational. They returned home to Florida with every honor to be won at the meet--Tallahassee's Maclay School took both the boys' and girls' team titles, and Maclay sophomore Clay Milford captured first place in the boys' race. Tallahassee Lincoln frosh Alyson Churchill carted home first place in the girls' 5K.


The Invitational opened at 8:00 AM with the high school girls' 5K race. Alyson Churchill was on the starting line with the Lincoln team. A frosh, this was only her second high school race, but Churchill's first had been a win at the Cougar Cross Country Challenge, where she had run 18:47 on 27 August 2016. Colquitt County junior Elizabeth Funderburk was also in the race. Funderburk had more than a few high school wins on her record, including the 2014 Bearcat Invitational title. Just a week earlier on 10 September 2016, Funderburk had gone 18:34 to win the high school girls' 5K at the Lee County Invitational.


"Elizabeth led for around the first 800 meters," recalled Churchill. "Then I passed her and was able to stay in front for the rest of the race. I knew she was close behind me though. She definitely pushed me."


Churchill was pushed enough that she ran 18:06, possibly becoming the first girl to crack 19:00 at the Bearcat Invitational, and very nearly the first to break 18:00. Funderburk was second in 18:25.


Third place went to Maclay's first runner, senior Caroline Willis, in 19:48. The Maclay onslaught continued with senior Molly McCann taking fifth in 20:13, eighth-grader Lindsay James sixth in 20:29, sixth-grader Ella Porcher eleventh in 21:46, and frosh Avery Smith twelfth in 22:12. With that, the Maclay girls had 32 points and the 2016 Bearcat Invitational team title. Churchill and the Lincoln girls took second in the field of thirteen teams with 48 points. Led by the seventh-place finish of frosh Emily Golden, Tift County was third with 110 points.


2016 Bearcat Invitational Team Standings, High School Girls

1. Maclay, 31
2. Lincoln, 48
3. Tift County, 110
4. Lee County, 124
5. Aucilla Christian, 157
6. Bainbridge, 181
7. Thomas County Central, 199
8. Colquitt County, 205
9. Worth County, 208
10. Seminole County, 271
11. Thomasville, 313
12. Baconton Charter, 346
13. Grace Christian, 370

Top 15 High School Girls, 2016 Bearcat Invitational

1. 18:05.97 ~ Alyson Churchill (Lincoln) 9
2. 18:24.58 ~ Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 11
3. 19:47.18 ~ Caroline Willis (Maclay) 12
4. 20:02.45 ~ Alli Hay (Pataula Charter) 12
5. 20:12.44 ~ Molly McCann (Maclay) 12
6. 20:28.47 ~ Lindsay James (Maclay) 8
7. 20:48.13 ~ Emily Golden (Tift County) 9
8. 21:02.52 ~ Chase Merrick (Lincoln) 9
9. 21:20.50 ~ Megan Churchill (Lincoln) 9
10. 21:37.66 ~ Olivia Miller (Chiles) 10
11. 21:45.79 ~ Ella Porcher (Maclay) 6
12. 22:11.32 ~ Avery Smith (Maclay) 9
13. 22:15.62 ~ Macy Williams (Seminole County) 9
14. 22:17.09 ~ Sophia Paredes (Maclay) 6
15. 22:21.43 ~ Abbey Schultz (Lincoln) 12

The boys's race was next on the program. After finishing back in the pack in the Cougar Challenge and the Bay Invitational, Maclay's Clay Milford got his first win of the 2016 season, running 16:41. Maclay senior Jake Mazziotta was second in 16:55, and Aucilla Christian senior Gatlin Nennstiel placed third in 17:16.


After the one-two finish of Milford and Mazziotta, the Maclay boys added performances from senior Gannon Hundley (6th, 17:54), junior Daniel Sweeney (10th, 18:21), and frosh Jay Brown (15th, 18:43) to rack up a team total of 32 points, putting the Marauders first among seventeen teams. Led by top-five finishes by senior Josh Liles (4th, 17:29) and junior Clayton Carlson (5th, 17:44), Tallahassee's Lincoln Trojans were second with 51 points. The hosting Bainbridge Bearcats were third with 117 points behind their top runner, junior Efrain Diaz (18th, 18:46).


2016 Bearcat Invitational Team Standings, High School Boys

1. Maclay, 32
2. Lincoln, 51
3. Bainbridge, 117
4. Lee County, 144
5. Seminole County, 144
6. Tift County, 185
7. Aucilla Christian, 198
8. Thomas County Central, 241
9. Fitzgerald, 262
10. Colquitt County, 297
11. Baconton Charter, 316
12. Cairo, 336
13. Early County, 337
14. Worth County, 350
15. Grace Christian, 352
16. Thomasville, 396
17. Brookwood, 449

Top 15 High School Boys, 2016 Bearcat Invitational

1. 16:40.81 ~ Clayburn Milford (Maclay) 10
2. 16:54.21 ~ Jake Mazziotta (Maclay) 12
3. 17:15.71 ~ Gatlin Nennstiel (Aucilla Christian) 12
4. 17:28.83 ~ Josh Liles (Lincoln) 12
5. 17:43.91 ~ Clayton Carlson (Lincoln) 11
6. 17:53.23 ~ Gannon Hundley (Maclay) 12
7. 17:54.47 ~ Jake Merritt (Colquitt County) 11
8. 18:11.50 ~ David A Keen (North Florida Christian) 9
9. 18:16.36 ~ Dennis Majano (Lincoln) 11
10. 18:20.68 ~ Daniel Sweeney (Maclay) 11
11. 18:26.56 ~ Dustin Reynolds (Seminole County) 12
12. 18:28.22 ~ Hunter Hatfield (Lee County) 11
13. 18:28.53 ~ Benjamin Phillips (Lee County) 9
14. 18:29.59 ~ Charles Hruda (Lincoln) 10
15. 18:42.15 ~ Jay Brown (Maclay) 9

In the middle school races, Georgia athletes had better luck against the Florida incursion. Representing Thomas County Middle School in Thomasville, Georgia, eighth-grader Anna James won the middle school girls' two mile, running 13:32. Eighth-grader Laney Grubbs from Crawfordville, Florida's Wakulla Middle School was runner-up in 14:01. Lee County seventh-grader Emily Phillips placed third in 14:20.


Tift Middle Schools' seventh-grader Ainsley Toews was fourth in 14:29. Tift also had eighth-grader Noelia Sandoval place sixth in 14:57, seventh-grader Alexandria Vaughan ninth in 15:20, eighth-grader Karoline Ponder tenth in 15:29, and seventh-grader Anna Willis thirteenth in 15:46, giving the squad 35 points and the team title. Emily Phillips and Lee County were second with 62 points. Led by eighth-grader Meg Houston (11th, 15:32), Pataula Charter was third with 93 points.


2016 Bearcat Invitational Team Standings, Middle School Girls

1. Tift, 35
2. Lee County, 62
3. Pataula Charter, 93
4. Thomas County, 99
5. Wakulla, 144
6. Colquitt County, 160
7. Seminole County, 166
8. Baconton Charter, 192

Top 15 Middle School Girls, 2016 Bearcat Invitational

1. 13:31.48 ~ Anna James (Thomas County) 8
2. 14:00.16 ~ Laney Grubbs (Wakulla) 8
3. 14:19.44 ~ Emily Phillips (Lee County) 7
4. 14:28.77 ~ Ainsley Toews (Tift) 7
5. 14:54.71 ~ Emma Scwarc (Brookwood) 8
6. 14:56.16 ~ Noelia Sandoval (Tift) 8
7. 15:17.36 ~ Vivian Schuyler (Bainbridge) 8
8. 15:17.63 ~ Gracie Lawhon (Wakulla) 8
9. 15:19.28 ~ Alexandria Vaughan (Tift) 7
10. 15:28.13 ~ Karoline Ponder (Tift) 8
11. 15:31.01 ~ Meg Houston (Pataula Charter) 8
12. 15:34.61 ~ Alea Bochette (Lee County) 7
13. 15:45.53 ~ Anna Willis (Tift) 7
14. 15:54.52 ~ Katie McMillan (Tift) 8
15. 15:55.57 ~ Emma Briggs (Bainbridge) 8

Lee County brought 26 athletes to Bainbridge for the middle school boys' two mile, but Tift eighth-grader J. D. Bengston edged Lee County seventh-grader Josh Macklin for the win, 11:35 to 11:39. Grace Christian eighth-grader Wyatt Carpenter was third in 11:52.


In all, Tift put four runners in the top eight, but while Tift was waiting for a fifth runner, Lee County placed seventh-grader Alex Collins seventh in 12:26, eighth-grader Seth Tomlinson tenth in 12:51, eighth-grader Will Tomlinson eleventh in 12:56, and sixth-grader Wyatt Waddell twelfth in 13:10. With that, Lee County had 42 points and the championship. Tift was second with 61 points. Behind the fifth-place 12:20 performance of eighth-grader Lawson Brinkley, MacIntyre Park was third in the team standings with 80 points.


2016 Bearcat Invitational Team Standings, Middle School Boys

1. Lee County, 42
2. Tift, 61
3. MacIntyre Park, 90
4. Bainbridge, 140
5. Colquitt County, 166
6. Worth County, 172
7. Brookwood, 209
8. Grace Christian, 222
9. Thomas County, 246
10. Seminole County, 246
11. Pataula Charter, 250
12. Christ Classical, 307
13. Baconton Charter, 314

Top 15 Middle School Boys, 2016 Bearcat Invitational

1. 11:34.59 ~ J. D. Bengston (Tift) 8
2. 11:38.91 ~ Josh Macklin (Lee County) 7
3. 11:52.00 ~ Wyatt Carpenter (Grace Christian) 8
4. 12:04.36 ~ Beau Bengston (Tift) 8
5. 12:19.27 ~ Lawson Brinkley (MacIntyre Park) 8
6. 12:24.07 ~ Jeremiah Thomas (Tift) 8
7. 12:25.67 ~ Alex Collins (Lee County) 7
8. 12:26.78 ~ Bryce Stephens (Tift) 8
9. 12:46.50 ~ Daniel Jones (Grace Christian) 8
10. 12:50.61 ~ Seth Tomlinson (Lee County) 8
11. 12:55.79 ~ Will Tomlinson (Lee County) 8
12. 13:09.38 ~ Wyatt Waddell (Lee County) 6
13. 13:11.24 ~ Aiden Matthews (Bainbridge) 8
14. 13:11.60 ~ Case Gregory (Colquitt County) 7
15. 13:14.83 ~ Jack Saussy (Brookwood) 7

Timing of the 2016 Bearcat Invitational was provided by Miles and Minutes, LLC, of Tallahassee, Florida.

Bainbridge High School Bearcat Cross-Country Invitational Champions 2000 - 2016
High School Girls 5K
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
27 September 2003	Tift County, 39	22:28, Demonessa Pyle (Berrien County)
24 September 2005	Tift County, 32
23 September 2006
22 September 2007
20 September 2008	Bainbridge, 39	21:06, April Thomas (Bainbridge) 10
19 September 2009	Westover, 45	19:31, April Thomas (Bainbridge) 11
18 September 2010	Lee County
17 September 2011	Tift County, 36	21:50, Ericka Taylor (Westover) 11
22 September 2012	Thomasville, 64	21:05, Ericka Taylor (Westover) 12
14 September 2013	Thomas County Central, 55	19:56, Paige Braswell (Bainbridge) 12
20 September 2014	Maclay, 35	19:11, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 9
26 September 2015	Lincoln, 60	21:10, Juliana Krueger (Lincoln) 12
17 September 2016	Maclay, 31	18:06, Alyson Churchill (Lincoln) 9
High School Boys 5K
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
27 September 2003	Westover, 41	17:47, David Marley (Westover)
24 September 2005	Bainbridge, 54
23 September 2006
22 September 2007
20 September 2008	Tift County, 37	17:13, David Daniel (Thomasville) 11
19 September 2009	Tift County, 49	16:04, Hunter Honeycutt (Tift County) 10
18 September 2010	Westover
17 September 2011	Tift County, 55	16:48, Hunter Honeycutt (Tift County) 12
22 September 2012	Bainbridge, 77	16:40, Josh Mason (Westover) 12
14 September 2013	Bainbridge, 65	16:15, Chase Harris (Bainbridge) 11
20 September 2014	Maclay, 51	16:59, Bryce Swindell (Lassiter) 12
26 September 2015	Lowndes, 43	16:52, Kaleb Wolfenden (Lowndes) 11
17 September 2016	Maclay, 32	16:41, Clayburn Milford (Maclay) 10
Additions and corrections to this table will be accepted gratefully. ~HW

Links

• Results of the 2016 Bainbridge High Bearcat Cross Country Invitational
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1t1S1wUSNb0ZCJTVkPJZTyHs4sD8CEuoBb-fLJCwnhn4/pubhtml
  
  
• 2015 story, “Krueger leads Lincoln and Wolfenden leads Lowndes to victories in Bainbridge”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/09/bearcat-xc-2015.html
  
  
• Trouble Afoot! coverage of running in Bainbridge, Georgia
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/Bainbridge
  
  
• Stop playing on the computer and run a race! You can find one here:
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1775