Showing posts with label Emily Molen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emily Molen. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Emily Molen sets the pace at the Race For Pace

There was frost on the roofs in Tallahassee on Saturday morning, 17 November 2018. It was below 40 degrees, what passes for cold in Florida’s Capital City. The weekend, the cool air, and the early hour kept the streets quiet. Even on South Monroe Street, in view of the Capitol, there wasn’t much traffic.


But just past 7:30 AM, a runner turned onto the street. Behind the young woman another runner appeared. More followed. By the time the leader raced under the Cascades Park Bridge there were more than a dozen athletes headed north on South Monroe Street, with more to follow. It was the Pace School For Girls’ inaugural Race For Pace 5K, and the leader was Emily Molen, a Chiles High junior. No one caught Molen that morning, and she finished the race in 21:22.

Emily Molen
Emily Molen

More than three weeks earlier, Molen had wrapped up her cross-country season on the Chiles team.


“I haven’t raced since District,” explained Molen. “So I just wanted an opportunity to get in a race today. I didn’t want to go all out, but something a bit faster.”


After running under the bridge, the Race For Pace took the athletes through Cascades Park. After the park, the route was familiar to people who have raced the Springtime 10K, a trip up Lafayette Street and into the Myers Park neighborhood.


“I liked the course,” said Molen. “It was hilly, so it was a bit difficult at times. I liked the different places we ran though. It was pretty.”

2018 Race For Pace 5K
The finish line

During the second half of the race Molen was far enough ahead that she was out of sight of the rest of the field. Two of the pursuers, master runners Lourena Maxwell and Hector Clemente, were misdirected by course marshals and actually finished before Molen at 19:54 and 19:59. However, Molen was the first athlete to complete the five-kilometer course. The Chiles junior has another 5K race scheduled for 24 November 2018, the high school girls’ race at the Foot Locker South Regional Championships in Charlotte, North Carolina’s McAlpine Greenway Park.


“I’ve been to the course before,” said Molen. “But I’ve never actually raced there.”


The Race For Pace was USATF-certified, guaranteeing an accurate five-kilometer run for the the athletes who were able to follow the course. Miles and Minutes, LLC, of Tallahassee timed and scored the race. There were 33 recorded finishers.


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Monday, June 25, 2018

Vince Molosky and Emily Molen open the Summer Trail Series with Munson Hills wins

By Saturday morning, 23 June 2018, the astronomical calendar, the National Weather Service calendar, and the thermometer all agreed that it was summer. So it was time for summer running. Since 2013, summer running in Tallahassee has included Gulf Winds Track Club’s annual Summer Trail Series, a circuit of four races. That Saturday morning, Vince Molosky won the opening event of the 2018 series, the Munson Hills Six-Mile Trail Race, running 38:02. Emily Molen took the women's title, placing thirteenth overall in 45:10.

Vince Molosky
Vince Molosky

Trail racing is a form of cross-country running that’s set on, well, trails--usually single-track paths like the Munson Hills Bike Trail south of Tallahassee. 124 runners is a lot of athletes to try to fit onto a narrow track, but that’s how many managed to finish the Munson Hills Six Mile. Molosky had plenty of room, though. He was well ahead of the rest of the field nearly from the start, earning not only elbow room but also the privilege of knocking down the morning spider webs. Molosky also ran with a five-or-six pound handicap, a water pack. He didn’t need the water for Munson Hills, but it was part of his preparation for future races.


“I’m training for a 100-mile in September, the IMTUF 100 in Idaho,” explained Molosky. “So I wanted to be used to carrying the weight of the water.”

Brad Busboom
Brad Busboom

Molosky regularly does trail runs that can take all day or all weekend, such as the Idaho Mountain Trail Ultra Festival (IMTUF). The single-digit miles of Munson Hills were on the short side for him, but not without challenges.


“The last hill wasn’t fun,” said Molosky. “Where the trails meet there’s a long incline. I thought the footing was good--in terms of trails.”


Behind Molosky, Brad Busboom took second in 38:40. Gray Droze, the Tallahassee Community College cross-country coach, was the first master runner in the race, placing third overall in 39:07. Master runner Geb Kiros was fourth in 40:24.

Geb Kiros
Geb Kiros

The Munson Hills Six-Mile was the 21st Summer Trail Series race and the first of 2018. It was also the first time Molosky had run in the Series.


“I’ve never been able to run any of the races,” said Molosky. “It’s timing. We’ve got other events scheduled.”


Emily Molen, on the other hand, has frequently found time to race in the Summer Trail Series. Her victory in the women's division on Saturday was her fifth Series win going back to 2014. Only Alyson Churchill has won as many Summer Trail races,and Churchill was the 2016 FHSAA state cross-country champion in class 3A.

Emily Molen
Emily Molen

“I just wanted to come out and do these trail races again,” said Molen. “They’re lots of fun and I get to race with a lot of people I don’t usually run with.”


Molen will start her junior year cross-country season at Chiles High in August. She sees trail running and cross-country as complementary.


“Doing these sets the stage for cross-country,” said Molen. “It gets me used to racing on trails.”

Alyssa Terry
Alyssa Terry

Molen led the women’s field from early in the race. Towards the end, though, she was stalked by Alyssa Terry.


“I just started off too slow,” said Terry. “I sped up around two miles. At mile four, Emily was in sight. I moved up on her, but, suddenly, there was the finish line.”


Molen crossed the finish line in a winning 45:10. Terry was there a few seconds later in 45:15, second in the women's standings and fourteenth overall in 45:15. Julie Duggins was the third woman and 22nd overall in 48:56. Monica Judd was the top woman master and sixth female finisher, 29th overall in 50:03.

Julie Duggins
Julie Duggins

The Summer Trail series continues with Saturday morning races at Phipps Park on 7 July 2018, Maclay Gardens on 21 July 2018, and Tom Brown Park on 4 August 2018. Of course that’s not the only summer running going on in Tallahassee.


“I’m running the Fourth of July race with my sister,” said Molen, referring to the Capital City Kiwanis Firecracker 5K in Cascades Park.


Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2018 Munson Hills 6-Mile Trail Race
  1. 38:02, Vince Molosky (M, 38)
  2. 38:40, Brad Busboom (M, 30)
  3. 39:07, Gary Droze (M, 57)
  4. 40:24, Geb Kiros (M, 51)
  5. 42:53, Jim Schafer (M, 30)
  6. 43:10, John Schwenkler (M, 36)
  7. 43:13, Ryan Baumbach (M, 38)
  8. 43:21, Jordan Cooper (M, 31)
  9. 44:06, Darien Angelier (M, 43)
  10. 44:17, Mark Sobczak (M, 40)

Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2018 Munson Hills 6-Mile Trail Race
  1. 45:10, Emily Molen (F, 16)
  2. 45:15, Alyssa Terry (F, 24)
  3. 48:56, Julie Duggins (F, 35)
  4. 49:40, Mary Jane Hayden (F, 38)
  5. 49:45, Vaisheli Desai (F, 31)
  6. 50:03, Monica Judd (F, 44)
  7. 50:49, Marien Dimacali (F, 56)
  8. 51:46, Laura Sellati (F, 39)
  9. 51:47, Melissa Hooke (F, 39)
  10. 51:48, Kaley Ford (F, 23)

Gulf Winds Track Club's Summer Trail Series race winners, 2013 - 2018
YearDateRaceTop MaleTop FemaleFinishers
2013June 22Cadillac Trail 5½M37:38, Kevin Sullivan45:07, Stephanie Liles-Weyant121
July 13Swamp Forest Trail 4½M30:19, Kevin Sullivan34:12, Micah Adriani124
July 27Magnolia Trail 3½M21:44, Kevin Sullivan24:45, Stephanie Liles-Weyant114
August 3Red Bug Trail 4½M33:31, Bryce Van Dam43:46, Stephanie Liles-Weyant92
2014June 21Red Bug Trail 4½M38:30, Charn McAllister42:02, Brook Pace114
July 12Swamp Forest Trail 4½M29:06, Charn McAllister33:13, Brook Pace109
July 26Magnolia Trail 3½M26:03, Charn McAllister30:16, Emily Molen108
August 2Cadillac Trail 5½M41:38, Brian Molen48:25, Emily Molen88
2015May 30Cadillac Trail 5½M39:15, Zach Deveau42:51, Alyson Churchill158
June 13Oak Hammock Trail 5M32:59, Zach Deveau35:10, Alyson Churchill129
July 18Coon Bottom Trail 4M28:42, Zach Deveau29:14, Alyson Churchill112
August 1Red Bug Trail 4½M35:14, Greg Bargo35:24, Alyson Churchill112
2016May 21Magnolia Trail 3½M25:18, Dan Baur27:05, Katie Gorman133
June 4Oak Hammock Trail 5½M42:53, Eric Godin45:24, Katie Gorman123
July 9Red Bug Trail 4½M33:14, Dan Baur35:04, Katie Gorman130
July 30Cadillac Trail 5½M43:06, Paul Guyas42:29, Alyson Churchill95
2017June 10Munson Hills 6M36:45, Chris O'Kelley46:34, Emily Molen87
July 1Red Bug Trail 4½M37:34, Chris O'Kelley48:24, Emily Molen90
July 15Oak Hammock/Swamp Forest 5M33:35, Charles Biberg39:36, Kat Sack89
August 5Tom Brown Park 4½M32:40, Chris O'Kelley36:36, Jennifer Bayliss71
2018June 23Munson Hills 6M38:02, Vince Molosky45:10, Emily Molen124
July 7Phipps Park 4M

July 21Maclay Gardens 5M
August 4Tom Brown Park 4½M


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Monday, July 3, 2017

O'Kelley and Molen stay perfect in the Summer Trail Series at Red Bug

North of Tallahassee, Florida in Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park, the Red Bug Trail is a scenic traipse through the trees and over brooks. But if you take your eyes off the trail to enjoy that scenery, one of your feet is liable to make friends with a tree root. You’re even more likely to stumble if you’re running the trail, as many athletes were doing on Saturday morning, 1 July 2017, during the second event in Gulf Winds Track Club’s Summer Trail Series, the Red Bug Trail Race.


“I was very careful,” said one of the runners. “I kept my eyes on the ground.”


“I saw one go down in front of me and another behind me,” said another runner. “Fortunately, when I went down no one was watching me.”

Chris O'Kelley
Chris O'Kelley

It was definitely a trail race, with cries of “Oof!” and “Are you okay?” filling the woods, and the scent of insect repellent in the air. None of the obstacles on the trail could stop Chris O’Kelley, though. O’Kelley won the race, covering the perilous four-and-a-half miles in 37:34. Or maybe it was five miles. Opinions varied.


With the win, O’Kelley is two-for-two in the four-event Summer Trail Series, having also won the opener at Munson Hills. How did Red Bug Trail compare with the first run?


“A lot tougher,” said O’Kelley. “It was hotter and more humid. I hadn’t run here before and I didn’t know how technical it was going to be. I wanted to run faster, but after I got out on the trail I knew that wasn’t going to happen.”

Gulf Wind Track Club 2017 Summer Trail Series #2, Red Bug Trail Race
The Start

In the parlance of trail running, “technical” means “likely to cause someone to trip and fall.” Saturday’s statistics indicate that Red Bug Trail is very technical.


O’Kelley perhaps didn’t run as fast as he’d have liked, but he did run fast enough to win by over a quarter mile. Charles Biberg was runner-up in the race, clocking 39:42. Bill McDonald was the top master runner on the trail, placing third overall in 42:09.


Emily Molen took the women’s title, finishing 22nd overall in 48:24. Molen, a sophomore on the Chiles High cross-country team, was also first in the women’s standings at the earlier Munson Hills race. It was actually Molen’s fourth Trail Series win; as a youngster on the Deerlake Middle School cross-country team, she had won two of the races on the 2014 summer trail circuit. Julie Duggins was the women's runner-up at Red Bug, 24th overall in 49:43. Darcy Brinkman edged Megan Orcutt for the third women's spot, 50:40 to 50:42. Brinkman and Orcutt were 29th and 30th overall. Sonya Dudley was the first woman master and tenth female finisher, 46th overall in 56:56.

Emily Molen
Emily Molen

90 athletes finished the Red Bug Trail Race. The Summer Trail Series continues on 15 July 2017 with a five-mile morning race in Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park, and concludes on 5 August 2017 with a four-and-a-half mile evening race in Tom Brown Park. Chris O'Kelley plans to be at both.


“I’m trying to sweep the series,” said O’Kelley. “But we’ll see.”


Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2017 Red Bug Trail 4½-Mile Race
  1. 37:34, Chris O'Kelley (M, 24)
  2. 39:42, Charles Biberg (M, 24)
  3. 42:09, Bill McDonald (M, 56)
  4. 42:27, James Wilkinson (M, 34)
  5. 42:39, Myles Gibson (M, 51)
  6. 43:06, Mark Sobczak (M, 39)
  7. 43:41, Brian Molen (M, 41)
  8. 43:55, Hal Fravel (M, 36)
  9. 45:09, Ryan Baumbach (M, 37)
  10. 45:21, Chad Johnson (M, 44)

Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2017 Red Bug Trail 4½-Mile Race
  1. 48:24, Emily Molen (F, 15)
  2. 49:43, Julie Duggins (F, 34)
  3. 50:40, Darcy Brinkmann (F, 36)
  4. 50:42, Megan Orcutt (F, 32)
  5. 50:52, Deirdre McCarthy (F, 37)
  6. 53:40, Martha Guyas (F, 32)
  7. 54:38, Amelia Wilson (F, 27)
  8. 55:30, Jessica Deneen (F, 26)
  9. 55:44, Bridget Isenberg (F, 17)
  10. 56:56, Sonya Dudley (F, 48)

Gulf Winds Track Club's Summer Trail Series race winners, 2013 - 2017
YearDateRaceTop MaleTop FemaleFinishers
2013June 22Cadillac Trail 5½M37:38, Kevin Sullivan45:07, Stephanie Liles-Weyant121
July 13Swamp Forest Trail 4½M30:19, Kevin Sullivan34:12, Micah Adriani124
July 27Magnolia Trail 3½M21:44, Kevin Sullivan24:45, Stephanie Liles-Weyant114
August 3Red Bug Trail 4½M33:31, Bryce Van Dam43:46, Stephanie Liles-Weyant92
2014June 21Red Bug Trail 4½M38:30, Charn McAllister42:02, Brook Pace114
July 12Swamp Forest Trail 4½M29:06, Charn McAllister33:13, Brook Pace109
July 26Magnolia Trail 3½M26:03, Charn McAllister30:16, Emily Molen108
August 2Cadillac Trail 5½M41:38, Brian Molen48:25, Emily Molen88
2015May 30Cadillac Trail 5½M39:15, Zach Deveau42:51, Alyson Churchill158
June 13Oak Hammock Trail 5M32:59, Zach Deveau35:10, Alyson Churchill129
July 18Coon Bottom Trail 4M28:42, Zach Deveau29:14, Alyson Churchill112
August 1Red Bug Trail 4½M35:14, Greg Bargo35:24, Alyson Churchill112
2016May 21Magnolia Trail 3½M25:18, Dan Baur27:05, Katie Gorman133
June 4Oak Hammock Trail 5½M42:53, Eric Godin45:24, Katie Gorman123
July 9Red Bug Trail 4½M33:14, Dan Baur35:04, Katie Gorman130
July 30Cadillac Trail 5½M43:06, Paul Guyas42:29, Alyson Churchill95
2017June 10Munson Hills 6M36:45, Chris O'Kelley46:34, Emily Molen87
July 1Red Bug Trail 4½M37:34, Chris O'Kelley48:24, Emily Molen90
July 15Phipps Park 5M
August 5Tom Brown Park 4½M


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Saturday, June 10, 2017

O'Kelley and Molen were magnificent at Munson

Gulf Winds Track Club's Summer Trail Series opened south of Tallahassee, Florida on Saturday morning, 10 June 2017, with the six mile Munson Hills Trail Race. There, Chris O'Kelley and Emily Molen opened the four-race Series with wins. O'Kelley was the overall champ of the six-mile race, finishing 250 meters ahead of the next runner in 36:45. Emily Molen was the first woman in the race, placing tenth overall in 46:34.

Chris O'Kelley, Emily Molen
Chris O'Kelley and Emily Molen. Photos by Fred Deckert.

During the first four year of the Summer Trail Series, 2013 to 2016, all of the races on the circuit were either at Tom Brown Park or in Phipps Park. After sixteen runs divided between those two venues, the Munson Hills race broke new ground. Billed at six miles, it was the longest race in the history of Series. Additionally, it was Chris O'Kelley's debut on the circuit. Which isn't to say that O'Kelley was a neophyte. Just a month earlier, he had won the Tails & Trails 10K, running 38:54 on the paths of Tom Brown Park and the Lafayette Heritage Trail. During the autumn of 2016 O'Kelley had posted a posted a 36:23 win at the Run For Lawson 10K, 6.2 miles of tough cross-country running. If you were going through the resumes of the Munson Hills entries, looking for an athlete qualified to race six miles on trails, you'd pick O'Kelley.


The Lincoln High alumnus lived up to his record, winning in 36:45. Ryan Slyter was second in 37:45 and Charles Biberg third in 39:19. Gary Johnston was the fastest master runner in the race, placing fourth overall in 44:18.

Course map, 2017 Munson Hills Six-Mile Trail Race

It was the debut in the Summer Trail Series for O'Kelley, but not for Emily Molen. Three years earlier as a Deerlake Middle School cross-country runner, Molen had been the first female finisher in two of the Series races in 2014. The Munson Hills race was Molen's first run on the circuit since those wins, and it was quite a return. Now a rising sophomore on the Chiles High cross-country team, Molen won the women’s division in 46:34, placing tenth overall. Monica Judd was the first woman master and second female finisher, placing seventeenth overall in 49:05. Nazarae Rodriguez was third in the women's standings and 23rd overall in 50:02.


87 athletes finished the Munson Hills Trail Race. Gulf Winds Track Club timed the run. The 2017 Summer Trail Series continues with a four-and-a-half-mile race at Phipps Park on Saturday morning, 1 July 2017; a five-mile race at Phipps Park on Saturday morning, 15 July 2017; and concludes with a four-and-a-half-mile race at Tom Brown Park on Saturday evening, 5 August 2017.


Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2017 Munson Hills 6-Mile Trail Race
  1. 36:45, Chris O'Kelley (M, 24)
  2. 37:45, Ryan Slyter (M, 27)
  3. 39:19, Charles Biberg (M, 24)
  4. 44:18, Gary Johnston (M, 42)
  5. 44:40, James Wilkinson (M, 34)
  6. 45:13, Ryan Baumbach (M, 37)
  7. 45:35, Chad Johnson (M, 44)
  8. 46:01, Hal Fravel (M, 36)
  9. 46:33, Michael Kennett (M, 43)
  10. 47:14, Laryn Flikkema (M, 41)

Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2017 Munson Hills 6-Mile Trail Race
  1. 46:34, Emily Molen (F, 15)
  2. 49:05, Monica Judd (F, 40)
  3. 50:02, Nazarae Rodriguez (F, 27)
  4. 50:25, Darcy Brinkmann (F, 36)
  5. 50:42, Mary Jane Hayden (F, 37)
  6. 51:44, Marien Dimacali (F, 55)
  7. 52:02, Deirdre McCarthy (F, 37)
  8. 53:21, Julie Duggins (F, 34)
  9. 54:37, Bridget Isenberg (F, 17)
  10. 56:45, Martha Guyas (F, 32)

Gulf Winds Track Club's Summer Trail Series race winners, 2013 - 2017
YearDateRaceTop MaleTop FemaleFinishers
2013June 22Cadillac Trail 5½M37:38, Kevin Sullivan45:07, Stephanie Liles-Weyant121
July 13Swamp Forest Trail 4½M30:19, Kevin Sullivan34:12, Micah Adriani124
July 27Magnolia Trail 3½M21:44, Kevin Sullivan24:45, Stephanie Liles-Weyant114
August 3Red Bug Trail 4½M33:31, Bryce Van Dam43:46, Stephanie Liles-Weyant92
2014June 21Red Bug Trail 4½M38:30, Charn McAllister42:02, Brook Pace114
July 12Swamp Forest Trail 4½M29:06, Charn McAllister33:13, Brook Pace109
July 26Magnolia Trail 3½M26:03, Charn McAllister30:16, Emily Molen108
August 2Cadillac Trail 5½M41:38, Brian Molen48:25, Emily Molen88
2015May 30Cadillac Trail 5½M39:15, Zach Deveau42:51, Alyson Churchill158
June 13Oak Hammock Trail 5M32:59, Zach Deveau35:10, Alyson Churchill129
July 18Coon Bottom Trail 4M28:42, Zach Deveau29:14, Alyson Churchill112
August 1Red Bug Trail 4½M35:14, Greg Bargo35:24, Alyson Churchill112
2016May 21Magnolia Trail 3½M25:18, Dan Baur27:05, Katie Gorman133
June 4Oak Hammock Trail 5½M42:53, Eric Godin45:24, Katie Gorman123
July 9Red Bug Trail 4½M33:14, Dan Baur35:04, Katie Gorman130
July 30Cadillac Trail 5½M43:06, Paul Guyas42:29, Alyson Churchill95
2017June 10Munson Hills 6M36:45, Chris O'Kelley46:34, Emily Molen87
July 1Phipps Park 4½M
July 15Phipps Park 5M
August 5Tom Brown Park 4½M


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Friday, October 16, 2015

Molen and D'Aleo win, but Holy Comforter's teams sweep the Tallahassee Open

Emily Molen"Did we win, coach? Did we win?"


That was the question of one of the athletes at the Tallahassee Open Middle School Cross Country Meet on Thursday afternoon, 15 October 2015. On thing about cross country, though, is that you usually don't know the winning teams until the last runner is finished. That day at Holy Comforter Episcopal School, though, was one of the exceptions.
Any score less than 28 points is unbeatable, and when the fifth Holy Comforter runner had crossed the finish line in the girls' 3K race it was clear that the Crusaders had scored 21, clinching the win. Similarly, the mathematics of cross country was on the side of Holy Comforter's boys when they scored a winning 27 points in their own 3K race. As for individuals, it's indisputable that the winner is who you see cross the finish line first, and in the girls' race that was Deerlake eighth-grader Emily Molen with a meet record of 11:23. Emerald Coast eighth-grader Jacob D'Aleo won the boys' 3K by half a minute, running 10:25.


Emily Molen, Alyson ChurchillThe racing took place on Lawson's Course behind Holy Comforter Episcopal School. The Elementary School one-mile race provided a warm-up act at 3:30 PM, but the first of the main events was at 4:00 PM--the girls' 3K. There was the usual initial scramble for the lead, but by half a kilometer into the race Emily Molen was setting the pace, followed by Swift Creek eighth-grader Alyson Churchill, both running unattached. Molen knew the course, having run the race in 2014, but familiarity didn't diminish her respect for the hilly 3K.


"It's tough," said Molen.


"The hills were pretty tough for me," concurred Churchill. "I missed the woods at Apalachee Regional Park, but I still liked it."


Alyson ChurchillAs Churchill noted, there were no forested sections of the race, so spectators could see the entire race unfold. What they saw was Molen expanding her lead--from a single second at the half kilometer, to five seconds at the kilometer, then to twenty seconds at the two kilometer mark. Molen was over half a minute ahead when she finished the race, winning in 11:23. Alyson Churchill was second in 11:57. Swift Creek eighth-grader Megan Churchill was third in 12:02.


Molen, Churchill, and Churchill had all raced unattached, so the first scorer across the line was Holy Comforter eighth-grader Hannah Hosay, fourth in 12:12. Eighth-grader Caitlin Wilkey took fifth for the Mustang Runners Club in 12:31, but right after Wilkey came a rush of Crimson singlets as the rest of Holy Comforter's scorers finished--eighth-graders Elizabeth Calabro (6th, 12:33), Avery Smith (7th, 12:47), and Lauren Dessi (9th, 13:08); plus sixth-grader Kate Smith (10th, 13:13). Those five gave the Crusaders 21 points and first place in a field of six teams. Emerald Coast's Lindy Arthur interrupted the flood of red-clad runners, placing eighth in 13:02 and leading her team to second place with 56 points. Seventh-grader Madison Perkins (11th, 13:27) was the top scorer for the Marauders, who placed third with 68.


Girls' Team Standings, 2015 Tallahassee Open Middle School XC Championship
  1. Holy Comforter, 21
  2. Emerald Coast, 56
  3. Maclay, 68
  4. Mustang Running Club, 93
  5. Christ Classical, 151
  6. Math and Science, 160

Top 15 Girls, 2015 Tallahassee Open Middle School XC Championship
  1. 11:22.42 ~ Emily Molen (Unattached) 8Megan Churchill, Hannah Hosay
  2. 11:56.63 ~ Alyson Churchill (Unattached) 8
  3. 12:01.27 ~ Megan Churchill (Unattached) 8
  4. 12:11.23 ~ Hannah Hosay (Holy Comforter) 8
  5. 12:30.21 ~ Caitlin Wilkey (Mustang Running Club) 8
  6. 12:32.47 ~ Elizabeth Calabro (Holy Comforter) 8
  7. 12:46.10 ~ Avery Smith (Holy Comforter) 8
  8. 13:01.40 ~ Lindy Arthur (Emerald Coast) 7
  9. 13:07.10 ~ Lauren Dessi (Holy Comforter) 8
  10. 13:12.89 ~ Kate Smith (Holy Comforter) 6
  11. 13:26.94 ~ Madison Perkins (Maclay) 7
  12. 13:31.73 ~ Aris Short (Emerald Coast) 7
  13. 13:36.65 ~ Gracie Holder (Emerald Coast) 6
  14. 13:40.35 ~ Katelyn Dessi (Holy Comforter) 7
  15. 13:44.88 ~ Madeleine Roberts (Maclay) 8

Jacob D'Aleo"I liked the course a lot," said Jacob D'Aleo. "It was one of the best courses I've run on."


It's quite possible that the Emerald Coast Middle School eighth-grader's high opinion of Lawson's Course was colored by the fact that he outran everyone there. Half a kilometer into the three-kilometer race, D'Aleo was already more than ten seconds ahead of the field and continuing to cruise away from them. A battle for second was brewing. Directly behind D'Aleo Holy Comforter eighth-graders Brecht Heuchan, Trey Jackson, Jackson Roberts, and Joseph Ashebo were in a tight group with Maclay eighth-grader Johnny McClure. Halfway through the race no one had blinked--all five were still together. Heuchan fell off the pace first, then Ashebo and Roberts. With a kilometer to go it was just Jackon and McClure chasing D'Aleo.


While D'Aleo raced home to a winning 10:25, Jackson broke away from McClure to take second in 10:55. McClure was third in 11:03, followed by Roberts in fourth at 11:05. Ashebo outkicked sixth-grader Trey Daniels of the Mustang Runners for fifth, 11:12.27 to 11:12.72. Heuchan was seventh in 11:18 and Holy Comforter's final scorer was sixth-grader Leo Kelly, ninth in 11:26.


Trey Jackson, Johnny McClureAfter Kelly's finish, Holy Comforter had a total of 27 points and a mathematically guaranteed win. Maclay was second in the seven-team field with 57 points and Emerald Coast third with 69.


The meet was the final middle school cross country competition in Tallahassee for 2015, but not in Florida.


"I've got one more meet before State," said D'Aleo. "The Destin Invitational next weekend."


Holy Comforter is headed to the South Georgia / North Florida Cross Country Championships in Thomasville on 24 October 2015, and every Florida athlete aspires to race at the Florida Youth Running Association's state championship meet in Lakeland's Holloway Park on Saturday, 31 October 2015. And after that?


"I'll be training for track," said D'Aleo.


Boys' Team Standings, 2015 Tallahassee Open Middle School XC Championship
  1. Holy Comforter, 27
  2. Maclay, 57
  3. Emerald Coast, 69
  4. Mustang Running Club, 83
  5. Christ Classical, 146
  6. Trinity Catholic, 182
  7. Imagine, 213

Top 15 Boys, 2015 Tallahassee Open Middle School XC Championship
  1. 10:24.78 ~ Jacob D'Aleo (Emerald Coast) 8Jackson Roberts
  2. 10:54.66 ~ Trey Jackson (Holy Comforter) 8
  3. 11:02.68 ~ Johnny McClure (Maclay) 8
  4. 11:04.95 ~ Jackson Roberts (Holy Comforter) 8
  5. 11:12.27 ~ Joseph Ashebo (Holy Comforter) 8
  6. 11:12.72 ~ Trey Daniels (Mustang Running Club) 6
  7. 11:17.59 ~ Brecht Heuchan (Holy Comforter) 8
  8. 11:20.60 ~ Thomas Deison (Maclay) 8
  9. 11:25.91 ~ Leo Kelly (Holy Comforter) 6
  10. 11:30.97 ~ Spencer Amsellem (Unattached) 8
  11. 11:32.06 ~ Damian Hundley (Maclay) 8
  12. 11:34.82 ~ Ben Kirbo (Holy Comforter) 6
  13. 11:40.26 ~ Hawthorne Hay (Mustang Running Club) 8
  14. 11:42.80 ~ Jackson Jones (Holy Comforter) 7
  15. 11:43.86 ~ Lane Marshall (Emerald Coast) 8

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Saturday, October 10, 2015

Emily Molen and Nile Bryant grab 2015 LCS Cross Country titles

Emily Molen, Alyson ChurchillThe finale of Leon County Schools' middle school cross country season arrived on Wednesday, 7 October 2015, with the league Championship at the Apalachee Regional Park Cross Country Course. Deerlake eighth-grader Emily Molen won the girls' two-mile race in 12:08, but it was the Swift Creek girls who took the team title. Raa eighth-grader Nile Bryant posted a winning 11:34 in the boys' two-mile, while top team honors went to Montford.


Competition opened at 6:00 PM with the girls' race. In four previous meetings during the season, Swift Creek eighth-grader Alyson Churchill had won the first two, but Deerlake's Emily Molen had won the more recent pair of races. Right after the start Molen was out front setting the pace, but after half a mile Churchill was only a step or two behind.


Alyson Churchill"I knew she was going to really push it today," said Molen. "So I was going to push it, too."


Through a mile and more of the two-mile race, Churchill ran in Molen's shadow. The two were still only a couple of seconds apart with three-quarters of a mile to go when they crossed the shell bridge, the lowest spot on the course. After that, though, as the course began to climb, Molen began to pull away. The gap was six seconds 700 yards from the finish where the runner reached the top of the Wall, the steepest slope on the course. Molen broke contact after that, crossing the finish line first in 12:08. Churchill was second in 12:29.


"It was tough," said Molen.


Megan ChurchillWhile Emily Molen and Alyson Churchill dueled for first, Swift Creek eighth-grader Megan Churchill had been running in third place, where she finished in 12:35. Meanwhile, Swift Creek eighth-grader Chase Merrick overtook Montford eighth-grader Caitlyn Wilkey to move into fourth, holding that place with a 12:39. Deerlake had Molen in first place plus two more top ten finishers in eighth-grader Gabrielle O'Sullivan (6th, 13:06) and Lauren Cook (7th, 13:50). But Swift Creek's next two scorers--eighth-graders Rylee French (11th, 14:11) and Chloe Molinaro (15th, 14:21) gave the Wolves 35 points and the team win. With that victory, the Swift Creek girls ended the Leon County Schools season with a perfect record of five wins with no losses. Going back to 2012, Swift Creek has won 13 out of their last 14 cross country meets in the league.


The Deerlake girls were second with 44 points. Led by Caitlyn Wilkey (5th, 12:47), Montford placed third with 58 points.


Team Standings, Girls2015 Swift Creek girls' cross country team
  1. Swift Creek, 35
  2. Deerlake, 44
  3. Montford, 58
  4. Raa, 108
  5. Fairview, 122
  6. Cobb, 149
    Woodville, NTS
    Fort Braden, NTS

Top 15 Girls
  1. 12:07.33 ~ Emily Molen (Deerlake) 8Top ten girls
  2. 12:28.21 ~ Alyson Churchill (Swift Creek) 8
  3. 12:34.81 ~ Megan Churchill (Swift Creek) 8
  4. 12:38.33 ~ Chase Merrick (Swift Creek) 8
  5. 12:46.12 ~ Caitlin Wilkey (Montford) 8
  6. 13:05.13 ~ Gabrielle O'Sullivan (Deerlake) 8
  7. 13:49.36 ~ Lauren Cook (Deerlake) 7
  8. 13:52.60 ~ Grace Overholt (Fairview) 8
  9. 14:01.78 ~ Allison Burton (Montford) 7
  10. 14:02.32 ~ Caroline Cummings (Montford) 6
  11. 14:10.36 ~ Rylee French (Swift Creek) 8
  12. 14:14.35 ~ Lilli Unger (Raa) 7
  13. 14:17.31 ~ Scout Causey (Deerlake) 6
  14. 14:20.00 ~ Lindsey Scaringe (Montford) 8
  15. 14:20.18 ~ Chloe Molinaro (Swift Creek) 8

Nile BryantThe 2015 schedule had been designed with meets at Apalachee Regional Park as "bookends" for the season--the Swift Creek Invitational on 2 September 2015 and the Leon County Schools Championship on 1 October 2015 opened and closed competition. Athletes could use that pair of races to see how their performance had improved over the course of the season. This worked out well for the girls. you could study the results and see that Emily Molen dropped half a minute from her time between the first meet and the fifth, going from 12:38 to 12:08. However, the boys could make no such comparison. Their race at the Swift Creek Invitational had been scrubbed because of a lightning warning.


Raa eighth-grader Nile Bryant didn't run as if he was concerned with that lack of racing experience on the course. Besides, he had seen the course before.


"Last year," said Bryant.


Weston BlakeThis year Bryant ran as if the course belonged to him. At the quarter mile he was still among a crowd of challengers, but by the half-mile mark Bryant had a few steps on the field. Spencer Amsellem of Deerlake, winner of the Everhart Invitational, followed in second. Trailing Amsellem was Swift Creek seventh grader Weston Blake, the champ at both the Fort Braden Run and the Mustang Stampede. Halfway through the race those were still the top three runners, but with one difference. Instead of a few steps ahead, Bryant was way ahead.


But Bryant had enjoyed a big lead a week earlier at the Mustang Stampede, a race where Weston Blake had run him down just before the finish to get the win. During the second half of the Championship race, Blake overtook Amsellem then started to narrow the gap on Bryant.


This time, though, Blake couldn't catch the runner from Raa. Unchallenged, Bryant ran home in 11:34, the 2015 Leon County Schools boys' cross country champion. Blake was runner-up in 11:41, and Deerlake sixth-grader Levi Streeval placed third in 11:47.


Levi StrevalSixth-grader Trey Daniels ran 11:53, taking fourth for Montford. Deerlake answered with a 12:02 fifth-place performance by Spencer Amsellem, giving his school two runners in the top ten. But Montford eighth-graders Hawthorne Hay (7th, 12:10) and Bryson Cooksey (9th, 12:20) made it three in the top ten for the Mustangs. Swift Creek also had three in the top ten--Weston Blake, sixth-grader Kyle Spratt (6th, 12:05), and eighth-grader Sean Yearwood (8th, 12:14). The Swift Creek boys were looking to move up after a season of finishing third, while Deerlake collected two wins and Montford one.


The Montford boys had their own ambitions, though. Eighth-graders Findley Tucker (14th, 12:29) and Sam Hartmann (16th, 12:33) finished the scoring for the Mustangs, and Montford had 50 points and the team title, the third for the school in the last four years. Swift Creek edged Deerlake for second, 58 to 60.


Team Standings, Boys2015 Montford boys cross country team
  1. Montford, 50
  2. Swift Creek, 58
  3. Deerlake, 60
  4. Raa, 84
  5. Cobb, 120
  6. Fairview, 160
  7. Fort Braden, 203
    Nims, NTS
    Woodville, NTS

Top 15 Boys
  1. 11:33.62 ~ Nile Bryant (Raa) 8Top Ten Boys
  2. 11:40.28 ~ Weston Blake (Swift Creek) 7
  3. 11:46.86 ~ Levi Streeval (Deerlake) 6
  4. 11:52.37 ~ Trey Daniels (Montford) 6
  5. 12:01.67 ~ Spencer Amsellem (Deerlake) 8
  6. 12:04.51 ~ Kyle Spratt (Swift Creek) 6
  7. 12:09.66 ~ Hawthorne Hay (Montford) 8
  8. 12:13.67 ~ Sean Yearwood (Swift Creek) 8
  9. 12:19.33 ~ Bryson Cooksey (Montford) 8
  10. 12:19.69 ~ Carlos Urrutia (Raa) 8
  11. 12:25.85 ~ Michael Sweeney (Deerlake) 7
  12. 12:27.04 ~ Nicholas Samuel (Fairview) 7
  13. 12:28.47 ~ Steven Johnson (Raa) 8
  14. 12:28.66 ~ Findley Tucker (Montford) 8
  15. 12:31.22 ~ Campbell Hart (Cobb) 7

2015 Leon County Schools
Middle School Cross-Country Season Summary
Girls
MeetTeam ChampIndividual Champ
Swift Creek (Story)
2 Sep 2015		Swift Creek, 2612:35, Alyson Churchill (Swift Creek) 8
Fort Braden (Story)
9 Sep 2015		Swift Creek, 3813:26, Alyson Churchill (Swift Creek) 8
Everhart (Story)
17 Sep 2015		Swift Creek, 3312:16, Emily Molen (Deerlake) 8
Montford (Story)
30 Sep 2015		Swift Creek, 4312:25, Emily Molen (Deerlake) 8
Championship (Story)
1 Oct 2015		Swift Creek, 3512:08, Emily Molen (Deerlake) 8
Boys
MeetTeam ChampIndividual Champ
Fort Braden (Story)
9 Sep 2015		Deerlake, 4413:08, Weston Blake (Swift Creek) 7
Everhart (Story)
17 Sep 2015		Montford, 4912:17, Spencer Amsellem (Deerlake) 8
Montford (Story)
30 Sep 2015		Deerlake, 4311:56, Weston Blake (Swift Creek) 7
Championship (Story)
1 Oct 2015		Montford, 5011:34, Nile Bryant (Raa) 8
The boys' race at the 2 September 2015 Swift Creek Invitational was canceled
because of weather.


Leon County Schools Middle School Cross-Country Championships
Apalachee Regional Park, 2010 - 2015
Girls
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
6 Oct 2010Raa, 3213:34, Rebecca Clendinen (Raa) 8
28 Sep 2011Swift Creek, 3113:24, Zoe Sheldon (Swift Creek) 7
26 Sep 2012Swift Creek, 3612:49, Audrey Dogan (Raa) 8
2 Oct 2013Swift Creek, 4313:00, Ana Wallace (Deerlake) 8
1 Oct 2014Deerlake, 3612:12, Lawton Campbell (Deerlake) 8
7 Oct 2015Swift Creek, 3512:08, Emily Molen (Deerlake) 8
Boys
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
6 Oct 2010Raa, 2411:35, Wil Luca (Raa) 8
28 Sep 2011Raa, 5811:42, Evan Francis (Raa) 8
26 Sep 2012Montford, 5611:49, Matthew Cashin (Raa) 8
2 Oct 2013Montford, 3711:19, Jacob Dodson (Raa) 8
1 Oct 2014Fairview, 4411:59, Tavaris King (Griffin) 8
7 Oct 2015Montford, 5011:34, Nile Bryant (Raa) 8
Note: LCS held middle-school cross-country championships before 2010.
This table summarizes the history of the championship at ARPXC.


The Championship concluded the Leon County Schools' 2015 middle school cross country season, but that doesn't mean that the athletes are done with running.


"I'm planning on going to State in cross country," said Molen. "Then I'm going to take a break before getting ready for track."


And there's always the 2016 cross country season to look forward to.


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