Wolfenden and Funderburk repeat at Lee County High Invite

The focal point for high school cross country in Southwest Georgia on Saturday, 10 September 2016, was Leesburg, where the local high school was hosting the Lee County High Invitational. Americus, Georgia's Southland Academy won the team title in the girls' 5K race, a race where Colquitt County junior Elizabeth Funderburk dominated the individual competition, running 18:34. The Valdosta High boys won their race, while Lowndes High senior Kaleb Wolfenden ran 16:22 to successfully defend his 2015 Lee County High Invitational title.


The high school girls' 5K was scheduled for 8:30 AM. Elizabeth Funderburk had won the race in 2014, but finished second to Jones County's Kate Boland in 2015. Funderburk came to the starting line in 2016 determined to recapture the title. She did, and then some. Funderburk blazed the course in 18:34, winning the five-kilometer race by almost half a kilometer. Alli Hay, a senior running for Pataula Charter School, was runner-up in 20:23. Tift County frosh Emily Golden took third in 20:46.


Team Standings, High School Girls, 2016 Lee County High Invitational

1. Southland, 67
2. Tift County, 88
3. Lee County, 92
4. Westover, 161
5. Thomas County Central, 166
6. Colquitt County, 180
7. Worth County, 182
8. Valdosta, 185
9. Lowndes, 195
10. Bainbridge, 205
11. Coffee, 233
12. Fitzgerald, 268
13. Pelham, 307
14. Americus-Sumter, 437

Top Ten High School Girls, 2016 Lee County High Invitational

1. 18:33.42 ~ Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 11
2. 20:22.94 ~ Alli Hay (Pataula Charter) 12
3. 20:45.92 ~ Emily Golden (Tift County) 9
4. 21:57.11 ~ Monica Webb (Pelham) 12
5. 22:03.57 ~ Katelyn Lancaster (Valdosta) 9
6. 22:15.50 ~ Riley O'Linn (Valwood) 11
7. 22:27.30 ~ Ryleigh Bell (Southland) 9
8. 22:29.37 ~ Ansley Cain (Lee County) 12
9. 22:35.58 ~ Calyn Fort (Southland) 10
10. 22:56.24 ~ Savyon Toombs (Lowndes) 12

Did Elizabeth Funderburk establish a theme for the morning? Winners with long leads? If so, Lowndes senior Kaleb Wolfenden was quick to adopt that theme. Wolfenden successfully defended his 2015 title in the high school boys' 5K, winning by close to 400 meters in 16:22. Colby Jones of Lee County squeaked by Lowndes' Brishen House to take second, 17:47 to 17:49.


Lowndes also put a third runner in the top ten, Daniel Swilley, who was seventh in 18:15. Their cross-town rivals, the Valdosta Wildcats, had but a single top-ten finisher, Matthew Baun (5th, 18:00). But while the Lowndes Vikings were waiting for their fourth runner, Valdosta brought home the rest of their scorers and one of their pushers--Ladarius Dumas (13th, 19:00), Noah Richards (14th, 19:03), Francisco Centeno (15th, 19:18), Will Crispin (16th, 19:22), and Deshon Taylor (19th, 19:33). The Wildcats had 63 points and the win, while Lowndes was second with 76. Lee County was third in the field of twenty teams with 103 points.


Team Standings, High School Boys, 2016 Lee County High Invitational

1. Valdosta, 63
2. Lowndes, 76
3. Lee County, 103
4. Bainbridge, 152
5. Seminole County, 165
6. Coffee, 170
7. Tift County, 177
8. Thomas County Central, 221
9. Southland, 260
10. Westover, 268
11. Terrell County, 277
12. Bradwell, 308
13. Worth County, 311
14. Colquitt County, 327
15. Fitzgerald, 429
16. Furlow Charter, 479
17. Brookwood, 481
18. Americus-Sumter, 518
19. Pelham, 554
20. Thomasville, 555

Top Ten High School Boys, 2016 Lee County High Invitational

1. 16:21.50 ~ Kaleb Wolfenden (Lowndes) 12
2. 17:46.60 ~ Colby Jones (Lee County) 11
3. 17:48.80 ~ Brishen House (Lowndes) 11
4. 17:55.90 ~ Henry Plowden (Westover) 9
5. 17:59.90 ~ Matthew Baun (Valdosta) 12
6. 18:00.20 ~ Billy Calcutt (Southland) 12
7. 18:14.30 ~ Daniel Swilley (Lowndes) 12
8. 18:20.20 ~ Jake Merritt (Colquitt County) 11
9. 18:28.80 ~ Hunter Hatfield (Lee County) 11
10. 18:30.50 ~ Dustin Reynolds (Seminole County) 12

After the high school races came the middle school girls' two mile. The sole entry from Coffee Middle School, eighth-grader Gracie Woods, won the race in 13:20. Jadie Burrell of Southland Academy took second in 13:38, with Anna James of Thomas County third in 13:44.


Valwood had three runners in the top ten--Madeline Castor was fourth in 13:50, Brenna Clark fifth in 13:55, and Jolie Green eighth in 14:25. Southland Academy, though, put Elizabeth Law (10th, 14:29), Reese Roland (12th, 14:33), and Georgia Torbert (13th, 14:41) across the finish line ahead of Valwood's fourth runner, and Brooke Wiesner (21st, 15:53) in front of Valwood's fifth. It was enough to give Southland 52 points and the team title, just ahead Valwood's second-place total of 59. Tift was third with 83.


Team Standings, Middle School Girls, 2016 Lee County High Invitational

1. Southland, 52
2. Valwood, 59
3. Tift, 83
4. Lee County, 93
5. Valdosta, 133
6. Pataula Charter, 192
7. Thomas County, 203
8. Bainbridge, 209
9. Colquitt County, 239
10. Seminole County, 268
11. Ben-Hill, 293
12. Worth County, 320
13. Furlow Charter, 326

Top Ten Middle School Girls, 2016 Lee County High Invitational

1. 13:19.88 ~ Gracie Woods (Coffee) 8
2. 13:37.99 ~ Jadie Burrell (Southland) 7
3. 13:43.77 ~ Anna James (Thomas County) 8
4. 13:49.76 ~ Madeline Castor (Valwood) 8
5. 13:54.55 ~ Brenna Clark (Valwood) 8
6. 14:01.25 ~ Maya Wynn (Furlow Charter) 8
7. 14:19.74 ~ Emily Phillips (Lee County) 7
8. 14:24.31 ~ Jolie Green (Valwood) 8
9. 14:25.31 ~ Ainsley Toews (Tift) 7
10. 14:28.52 ~ Elizabeth Law (Southland) 7

Tift eighth-grader J. D. Bengston won the middle school boys' two mile in 11:39, finishing ahead of runner-up Josh Macklin of Lee County by a convincing if not comfortable margin. Macklin ran the course in 11:43. Cameron Watson of Coffee was third in 11:49.


Bengston was joined by Tift scorers Beau Bengston (4th, 12:03), Bryce Stephens (5th, 12:08), Jeremiah Thomas (8th, 12:44), and Zayne Smith (36th, 14:38), giving the team 48 points. Lee County, however, added Macklin's finish to that of Alex Collins (9th, 12:50), Seth Tomlinson (11th, 12:59), Wyatt Waddell (13th, 13:11), and Will Tomlinson (17th, 13:29), also scoring 48 points. Apparently, the NFHS tie-breaker rule was used, and the sixth runner on each team was compared. Lee County's sixth, Will Tomlinson (17th, 13:29), was faster than Tift's sixth, so Lee County was the meet champion, and Tift the runner-up. Valdosta was third with 114 points.


Team Standings, Middle School Boys, 2016 Lee County High Invitational

1. Lee County, 48
2. Tift, 48
3. Valdosta, 114
4. MacIntyre Park, 137
5. Bainbridge, 165
6. Brookwood, 197
7. Worth County, 209
8. Thomas County, 219
9. Colquitt County, 224
10. Ben-Hill, 232
11. Pataula Charter, 280
12. Southland, 297
13. Furlow Charter, 345
14. Seminole County, 346

Top Ten Middle School Boys, 2016 Lee County High Invitational

1. 11:38.27 ~ J.D. Bengston (Tift) 8
2. 11:42.40 ~ Josh Macklin (Lee County) 7
3. 11:48.06 ~ Cameron Watson (Coffee) 8
4. 12:02.37 ~ Beau Bengston (Tift) 8
5. 12:07.23 ~ Bryce Stephens (Tift) 8
6. 12:15.06 ~ Lawson Brinkley (MacIntyre Park) 8
7. 12:42.38 ~ Max Foster (Southland) 8
8. 12:43.32 ~ Jeremiah Thomas (Tift) 8
9. 12:49.21 ~ Alex Collins (Lee County) 7
10. 12:50.14 ~ Parker Jackson (Valdosta) 7

Lee County High School Cross-Country Invitational Champions 2008 - 2016
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)
12 September 2015	Jones County, 29	20:43, Kate Boland (Jones County)
10 September 2016	Southland, 67	18:34, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County)
High School Boys 5K
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
13 September 2008	Tift County, 51 points	16:27, Hunter Hunneycutt (Tift County)
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)
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)
10 September 2016	Valdosta, 63	16:22, Kaleb Wolfenden (Lowndes)

Links

• Complete results of the 2016 Lee County High School Cross Country Invitational
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SipQdsPqj5_ev8dpLpbvCP6rrywDhfWDX0LlRHfIo3I/pubhtml
  
  
• 2015 story, “Boland and Jones County, Wolfenden and Lowndes victorious at Lee County Invite”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/09/lee-county-xc-2015.html
  
  
• Wet or dry, find your next race on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1784

Wolfenden and Prinsloo triumph at Valdosta's Independence Day 5K

At the Valdosta, Georgia Independence Day 5K on 4 July 2015, Kaleb Wolfenden got outkicked for third place by Chance Roe, his teammate on the Lowndes High cross-country squad. At the same race on 4 July 2016, no one was outkicking Wolfeneden. The Lowndes High senior won the 5K by over 400 meters, running 16:28--the second-fastest time in the eight-year history of the race. Hahira, Georgia athlete Brianna Prinsloo won the women's title in 22:37, coming in twentieth overall.


Valdosta's Jackson Green was second in 18:10, just ahead of the 18:15 posted for third place by Valdosta High cross-country runner Matthew Baun. Dan Butzin took fourth in 18:50, and Valdosta High cross-country coach Ryan Kelly was fifth in 19:06. David Burnett of Valdosta was the fastest master runner in the race and sixth overall in 19:28.


Debbie Green was the first woman master and second female finisher, 22nd overall in 22:52. A Valdosta athlete, Green had been the women's champ in the 2015 Independence Day 5K. Lauren Bewley of Valdosta placed third in the women's standings, finishing 26th overall in 24:23.


119 athletes finished the 2016 Valdosta Independence Day 5K. The race was produced, timed, and scored by A Course / Line, LLC, of Valdosta, Georgia.


Top Ten Men, 2016 Valdosta Independence Day 5K

1. 16:27.1 ~ Kaleb Wolfenden (M, 18) Valdosta, GA
2. 18:09.3 ~ Jackson Green (M, 19) Valdosta, GA
3. 18:14.9 ~ Matthew Baun (M, 17) Valdosta, GA
4. 18:49.3 ~ Dan Butzin (M, 31) Valdosta, GA
5. 19:06.0 ~ Ryan Kelly (M, 37) Lake Park, GA
6. 19:27.5 ~ David Burnett (M, 40) Valdosta, GA
7. 19:58.0 ~ Tyler Thorne (M, 19) Moody AFB, GA
8. 20:05.8 ~ Nick Rosatti (M, 19) Hahira, GA
9. 20:06.1 ~ Colin Prinsloo (M, 30) Hahira, GA
10. 20:17.2 ~ David Jones (M, 21) Valdosta, GA

Top Ten Women, 2016 Valdosta Independence Day 5K

1. 22:36.3 ~ Brianna Prinsloo (F, 29) Hahira, GA
2. 22:51.2 ~ Debbie Green (F, 50) Valdosta, GA
3. 24:22.9 ~ Lauren Bewley (F, 34) Valdosta, GA
4. 24:58.6 ~ Brandy Van Jura (F, 37) Hahira, GA
5. 25:04.9 ~ Elizabeth Flail (F, 31) Valdosta, GA
6. 25:05.4 ~ Kelly Davis (F, 26) Valdosta, GA
7. 25:19.6 ~ Nancy Herring (F, 61) Thomasville, GA
8. 25:28.0 ~ Lauren Pate (F, 35) Tifton, GA
9. 26:07.3 ~ Meshea Hardeman (F, 27) Valdosta, GA
10. 26:10.4 ~ Katie Lancaster (F, 14) Valdosta, GA

Champions of the Valdosta Independence Day 5K, 2009 - 2016
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
4 July 2006*	32:33, Dave Bernacki	35:28, Susan Fischer	144
4 July 2007*	28:16, John Seppala	37:47, Beth DeLoach	181
4 July 2008*	28:42, John Seppala	33:15, Kelly Fleming	193
4 July 2009	16:38, Alan McGough	20:32, Ashley McGee	228
4 July 2010	16:32, Chris Rice	20:26, Angelina Horne	215
4 July 2011	16:15, Jeff Powers	20:16, Jordanne Helton	123
4 July 2012	16:57, Chris Rice	20:18, Christine Shattles	192
4 July 2013	17:28, Wright Calhoun	20:13, Mary Alice Smoot	163
4 July 2014	17:38, Chance Roe	21:04, Makenzee Page	124
4 July 2015	16:36, Roberto Bonilla, Jr	22:26, Debbie Green	128
4 July 2016	16:28, Kaleb Wolfenden	22:37, Brianna Prinsloo	119
* The predecessor of the Valdosta Independence Day 5K was the Baytree 8K, run in the streets of Valdosta on Independence Day from 2006 to 2008.

Links

• Complete results of Valdosta's 2016 Independence Day 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KxJbbWF9K9FtOsrthXKJvGz6PdCmEtDU-isX9cYf4I8/pubhtml
  
  
• More Independence Day 2016 racing coverage on Trouble Afoot!
  • Gainesville FL: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/07/ftc-melon-2016.html
  • Jay, FL: http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/07/jay-freedom-2016.html
    
  • Tallahassee FL: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/07/firecracker-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Bonilla and Green keep 'em flying in Valdosta”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/07/valdosta-independence-2015.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Calhoun wins and Smoot sets record on Independence Day in Valdosta”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/07/valdosta-independence-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Rice and Shattles celebrate America's birthday with Valdosta 5K wins”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/07/valdosta-independence-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “Powers and Helton make the records fall in Valdosta”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/07/valdosta-independence-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “2010 story, "Rice and Horne rock the Fourth in Valdosta”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/07/2010-valdosta-independence-day-5k.html
  
  
• Find a race to run on the next patriotic holiday using the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1855

More wins for Funderburk and Wolfenden at the Tift County Invitational

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Georgia, fields teams in baseball, golf, soccer, softball, and tennis, but not cross country. ABAC would have the makings of a fine cross country team, though, if the school enrolled just a few of the distance runners that visited its campus on Saturday morning, 10 October 2015, for the 14th annual Tift County Blue Devil Cross Country Invitational. Competing in four races, there were close to 500 athletes at the meet, some of the fastest in South Georgia, representing high schools and middle schools.


Among those hundreds of athletes was Colquitt County sophomore Elizabeth Funderburk, the defending champion in the high school girls' 5K. That race was scheduled to open the meet at 8:30 AM. Just like at the Pelham Hornet Invitational in August and the Quail Trail Invitational in September, Funderburk won by a ton. Finishing more than 300 meters ahead of the second runner, Funderburk posted a winning 20:15 in the 3.1-mile race. Lowndes sophomore Makenzee Page was second in 21:44, and Bainbridge sophomore Uriyah Davis placed third in 21:54.


Funderburk was Colquitt County's only finisher in the top ten, though, while the Lee County Trojans had three--sophomore Ramsay Miller (8th, 22:46), junior Ansley Cain (9th, 22:48), and frosh Caroline Taylor (10th, 22:51). Add Lee County's next two scorers, junior Ashley Bennett (15th, 23:34) and frosh Rachel Kiesau (17th, 23:46), and the Trojans had a total of 59 points, earning first place in a field of eleven girls' teams. Colquitt County was second with 87, just ahead of the host from Tift County, third with 91.


Team Standings, High School Girls, 2015 Tift County Invitational

1. Lee County, 59
2. Colquitt County, 87
3. Tift County, 91
4. Bainbridge, 114
5. Lowndes, 145
6. Tiftarea, 150
7. Fitzgerald, 181
8. Coffee, 194
9. Worth County, 200
10. Berrien County, 215
11. Baconton Charter, 235

Top 15 High School Girls, 2015 Tift County Invitational

1. 20:14.12 ~ Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 10
2. 21:43.09 ~ Makenzee Page (Lowndes) 10
3. 21:53.11 ~ Uriyah Davis (Bainbridge) 10
4. 22:02.01 ~ Phoebe Bills (Lowndes) 10
5. 22:16.90 ~ Ashlee Golden (Tift County) 10
6. 22:23.05 ~ Karen Garcia (Fitzgerald) 9
7. 22:42.04 ~ Kaycee Goodman (Tiftarea) 11
8. 22:45.72 ~ Ramsay Miller (Lee County) 10
9. 22:47.53 ~ Ansley Cain (Lee County) 11
10. 22:51.00 ~ Caroline Taylor (Lee County) 9
11. 23:02.18 ~ Sloan Fletcher (Tift County) 11
12. 23:06.22 ~ Lisbeth Cortes (Tift County) 11
13. 23:28.45 ~ Justice Lucas (Worth County) 11
14. 23:29.13 ~ Kaitlyn Mitchell (Colquitt County) 9
15. 23:33.41 ~ Ashley Bennett (Lee County) 11

Kaleb Wolfenden and Poncherella Leonard have got to be tired of seeing each other, but cross country fans in South Georgia aren't tired of watching them race. The two juniors had met five times this season before the Tift Invitational--at the Cougar Challenge, the Lee County Invitational, the Quail Trail Invitational, the Bearcat Invitational, and the Westover Invitational. Lowndes High's Wolfenden had won three of those meetings, but in the other two races Bainbridge's Leonard had finished ahead of Wolfenden. Both athletes were on the starting line at 9:30 AM at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.


This meeting belonged to Wolfenden, who won the race in 16:17. Leonard was second in 16:26, just ahead of Lowndes senior Chance Roe. Roe was third in 16:27. Lowndes' remaining scorers were junior Daniel Swilley (7th, 17:36), frosh Hayden Bills (10th, 18:17), and senior Dylan Rogers (14th, 18:37), totaling 35 points for the Vikings and giving Lowndes the team title. Bainbridge was second with 83 points. Lee County's top runner Robert Grooms (4th, 16:41) outran Coffee's leader, senior Cody Reid (5th, 17:23), but in the team standings Coffee edged Lee County for third, 104 to 108.


Team Standings, High School Boys, 2015 Tift County Invitational

1. Lowndes, 35
2. Bainbridge, 83
3. Coffee, 104
4. Lee County, 108
5. Tift County, 120
6. Colquitt County, 163
7. Berrien County, 187
8. Tiftarea, 243
9. Worth County, 244
10. Fitzgerald, 245
11. Dougherty, 268
12. Baconton Charter, 273
13. Cook, 340

Top 15 High School Boys, 2015 Tift County Invitational

1. 16:17.00 ~ Kaleb Wolfenden (Lowndes) 11
2. 16:26.00 ~ Poncherella Leonard (Bainbridge) 11
3. 16:27.00 ~ Chance Roe (Lowndes) 12
4. 16:41.00 ~ Robert Grooms (Lee County) 12
5. 17:23.00 ~ Cody Reid (Coffee) 12
6. 17:24.00 ~ Jake Merritt (Colquitt County) 10
7. 17:36.00 ~ Daniel Swilley (Lowndes) 11
8. 17:57.00 ~ Matthew Fisher (Tift County) 12
9. 18:13.00 ~ Artavious McGowan (Dougherty) 12
10. 18:17.00 ~ Hayden Bills (Lowndes) 9
11. 18:24.24 ~ Bennett Enfinger (Bainbridge) 12
12. 18:27.48 ~ Hunter Hatfield (Lee County) 10
13. 18:30.03 ~ Jacob Blakey (Lee County) 10
14. 18:36.50 ~ Dylan Rogers (Lowndes) 12
15. 18:38.26 ~ Jose Sanchez (Coffee) 11

Before the Tift Invitational, Emily Golden had wins at the Hornet Invitational, the Lee County Invitational, the Quail Trail Invitational, the Bearcat Invitational, and the Westover Invitational. After the morning at ABAC, the Tift Middle Schools eighth-grader had added the Tift Invitational middle school girls' title to her collection. Her sixth win this season, Golden ran the 3200-meter race in 12:42. Viking Runners Club seventh-grader Eryn Wilkey was second in 13:07.42, while Worth County eighth-grader Brianna Zupko outkicked Lee County sixth-grader Emily Phillips for third, 13:33.30 to 13:34.00.


Tift put all five of its scorers in the top ten--Golden, eighth-grader Caroline Vickers (5th, 13:44), eighth-grader Rebekah Larger (7th, 13:58), sixth-grader Ainsley Toews (8th, 13:59), and seventh-grader Noelia Sandoval (10th, 14:11). Now, a team can still lose with five runners in the top ten, but it's mathematically impossible to beat a team that has less than 28 points, and Tift had 27, putting them on top of the ten-team field. Lee County was second with 73 points, and Berrien edged the Viking Runners Club for third, 100 to 104.


Team Standings, Middle School Girls, 2015 Tift County Invitational

1. Tift, 27
2. Lee County, 73
3. Berrien County, 100
4. Viking Runners Club, 104
5. Coffee, 169
6. Cook, 170
7. Colquitt County, 172
8. Tiftarea, 178
9. Baconton Charter, 219
10. Ben Hill, 249

Top 15 Middle School Girls, 2015 Tift County Invitational

1. 12:41.45 ~ Emily Golden (Tift) 8
2. 13:07.42 ~ Eryn Wilkey (Viking Runners Club) 7
3. 13:33.30 ~ Brianna Zupko (Worth County) 8
4. 13:34.00 ~ Emily Phillips (Lee County) 6
5. 13:43.77 ~ Caroline Vickers (Tift) 8
6. 13:55.79 ~ Gracie Woods (Coffee) 7
7. 13:57.46 ~ Rebekah Larger (Tift) 8
8. 13:58.88 ~ Ainsley Toews (Tift) 6
9. 14:07.29 ~ Sophie Compton (Tiftarea) 5
10. 14:10.76 ~ Noelia Sandoval (Tift) 7
11. 14:26.80 ~ Katie McMillan (Tift) 7
12. 14:27.21 ~ Maddie Harper (Berrien County) 7
13. 14:47.43 ~ Alexandria Vaughn (Tift) 6
14. 15:01.19 ~ Emma Davis (Viking Runners Club) 7
15. 15:03.94 ~ Leslie Nuneez (Colquitt County) 8

A week after turning a 19:14 5K on the streets of Hahira, eighth-grader Carson Locke won the boys' 3200 at the Tift Invitational, running 11:32. Lee County runners took the next two places, with eighth-grader Ben Phillips second in 11:48 and sixth-grader Josh Macklin third in 11:50. Berrien County eighth-grader Mitchell Kallam was fourth in 11:51 and Tift seventh-grader Bryce Stephens was fifth in 12:01. Tift had four runners in the top ten, but while the Tift boys waited for a fifth scorer, Lee County put seventh-grader Seth Tomlinson (14th, 12:53), eighth-grader Noah Bain (15th, 12:58), and seventh-grader Will Tomlinson (18th, 13:14) across the finish line. After that, Lee County had 52 points and the team title. Tift was second in the field of ten teams with 60 points. Both Berrien County and Coffee had 80 points, but Berrien was awarded third-place in the team standings on the tiebreaker when their sixth runner, sixth-grader Beau Nix (28th, 13:31) finished ahead of Coffee's sixth runner.


Team Standings, Middle School Boys, 2015 Tift County Invitational

1. Lee County, 52
2. Tift, 60
3. Berrien County, 80
4. Coffee, 80
5. Viking Runners Club, 109
6. Ben Hill, 180
7. Tiftarea, 203
8. Baconton Charter, 222
9. Colquitt County, 235
10. Cook, 270

Top 15 Middle School Boys, 2015 Tift County Invitational

1. 11:31.31 ~ Carson Locke (Viking Runners Club) 8
2. 11:47.71 ~ Benjamin Phillips (Lee County) 8
3. 11:49.18 ~ Josh Macklin (Lee County) 6
4. 11:50.39 ~ Mitchell Kallam (Berrien County) 8
5. 12:00.42 ~ Bryce Stephens (Tift) 7
6. 12:01.36 ~ Gaven Purvis (Coffee) 8
7. 12:03.08 ~ Beau Bengston (Tift) 7
8. 12:30.04 ~ Andrew Caruana (Viking Runners Club) 7
9. 12:40.93 ~ Jeremiah Thomas (Tift)
10. 12:41.81 ~ Lavida Hall (Tift) 8
11. 12:43.93 ~ Cameron Watson (Coffee) 7
12. 12:47.62 ~ Edward Melendez (Coffee) 8
13. 12:50.56 ~ Morgan Bolmer (Berrien County) 8
14. 12:52.49 ~ Seth Tomlinson (Lee County) 7
15. 12:57.37 ~ Noah Bain (Lee County) 8

Tift High School Blue Devil Cross Country Invitational Winners, 2008 - 2015
High School Girls 5K
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
6 September 2008	Westover, 48 points	21:52, Alexis Skiles (Lee) 9
12 September 2009	Tift Country, 47	21:19, April Thomas (Bainbridge) 11
11 September 2010	Lowndes, 25	21:22, Ashley Powell (Lowndes)
8 October 2011	Lowndes, 22	19:14, Anna Leigh Nix (Veterans)
13 October 2012	Lowndes, 34	19:49, Jacki Pinkerton (Lowndes)
12 October 2013	Camden County, 42	19:47, Paige Braswell (Bainbridge) 12
11 October 2014	Tift County, 23	19:14, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 9
10 October 2015	Lee County, 59	20:15, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 10
High School Boys 5K
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
6 September 2008	Tift County, 40 points	17:25, Hunter Honeycutt (Tift County) 9
12 September 2009	Tift County, 30	17:09, Hunter Honeycutt (Tift County) 10
11 September 2010	Valdosta, 40	17:48, Hunter Honeycutt (Tift County) 11
8 October 2011	Tift County, 50	16:24, Hunter Honeycutt (Tift County) 12
13 October 2012	Lowndes, 65	16:20, Dale Pate (Worth County) 11
12 October 2013	Worth County, 69	16:28, Chase Harris (Bainbridge) 11
11 October 2014	Lee County, 55	16:46, Robert Grooms (Lee County) 11
10 October 2015	Lowndes, 35	16:17, Kaleb Wolfenden (Lowndes)

Links

• Complete results of Tift County's 2015 Blue Devil Cross Country Invitational
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fiz9y_QPUkTRz1O4Qz7L1Mu6mpO-RzYHCVSuSncoMwM/pubhtml
  
  
• Find an upcoming event to run on the Trouble Afoot! race calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1521

Krueger leads Lincoln and Wolfenden leads Lowndes to victories in Bainbridge

Bainbridge High School moved in 2009. The new building is well outside of Bainbridge, Georgia, and is actually closer to the village of Climax. Being that far from the city, though, makes the school's location well-suited for cross-country running--enough so that Bainbridge High's Bearcat Cross-Country Invitational was moved to the school. And that's where the 16th annual Bearcat Invitational took place on Saturday morning, 26 September 2015.


The high school girls' 5K race started at 8:00 AM, the first event of the meet. Lincoln senior Juliana Krueger, up from Tallahassee, won the race in 21:10, finishing close to 150 meters ahead of the next runner. Fitzgerald frosh Karen Garcia was second in 21:48, and Bainbridge sophomore Uriyah Davis (21:59) outkicked Thomas County Central sophomore Cara Eaton (22:00) and Pataula Charter junior Alli Hay (22:01) for third.


Krueger was joined by Lincoln's other four scorers--frosh Jirah Arnold (10th, 23:01) and sophomores Shayla Nguyen (14th, 23:16), Arianna Neely (15th, 23:19), and Asta Hemenway (29th, 24:19)--giving the Tallahassee team 60 points and first place. Lee County was second with points, led by junior Ashley Bennett (16th, 23:20). Thomas County Central placed third in the thirteen-team field with 86 points.


2015 Bearcat Invitational Team Standings, High School Girls

1. Lincoln, 60
2. Lee County, 74
3. Thomas County Central, 86
4. Westover, 94
5. Tift County, 94
6. Bainbridge, 125
7. Fitzgerald, 203
8. Lowndes, 230
9. Pelham, 252
10. Worth County, 262
11. Berrien County, 285
12. Baconton Charter, 293
13. Thomasville, 306

Top 15 High School Girls, 2015 Bearcat Invitational

1. 21:09.39 ~ Juliana Krueger (Lincoln) 12
2. 21:47.18 ~ Karen Garcia (Fitzgerald) 9
3. 21:58.09 ~ Uriyah Davis (Bainbridge) 10
4. 21:59.06 ~ Cara Eaton (Thomas County Central) 10
5. 22:00.94 ~ Alli Hay (Pataula Charter) 11
6. 22:18.68 ~ Angela Cipriani (Thomas County Central) 11
7. 22:19.88 ~ Perra Harrell (Grace Christian) 12
8. 22:25.08 ~ Janie Plowden (Westover) 11
9. 22:38.59 ~ Ashlee Golden (Tift County) 10
10. 23:00.11 ~ Jirah Arnold (Lincoln) 9
11. 23:07.46 ~ Jinglei Horchler (Thomas County Central) 10
12. 23:10.08 ~ Harley Stephens (Tift County) 11
13. 23:11.69 ~ Ramsay Miller (Lee County) 10
14. 23:15.76 ~ Shayla Nguyen (Lincoln) 10
15. 23:18.79 ~ Arianna Neely (Lincoln) 10

At the Cougar Cross Country Challenge in Tallahassee on 29 August 2015, Bainbridge sophomore Poncherella Leonard had finished seventh in 17:30--one place and seven seconds ahead of Lowndes High junior Kaleb Wolfenden. But two weeks later, Wolfenden won the Lee County Invitational and Poncherella was sixth. Wolfenden won again on 19 September 2015 at the Quail Trail Invitational, running 16:48 while Poncherella finished second in 17:09. The two met again on Poncherella's home course in the Bearcat Invitational high school boys' 5K. It was close, but Wolfenden edged Poncherella for the win, 16:52 to 16:56. Lowndes senior Chance Roe was third in 17:05.


Bainbridge frosh Caleb Harris was sixth in 17:32, giving the host Bearcats two runners in the top ten. But Lowndes had a total of four in the top ten, with junior Daniel Swilley taking ninth in 17:37 and frosh Hayden Bills tenth in 17:53. Senior runner Dylan Rogers was the fifth Lowndes scorer, 20th in 18:48, and the boys from Valdosta had 43 points and the team championship. Bainbridge was second with 61 points. Tallahassee Lincoln was third with 81 points after putting two runners in the top ten--sophomore Clayton Carlson (7th, 17:34) and junior Josh Liles (8th, 17:34).


2015 Bearcat Invitational Team Standings, High School Boys

1. Lowndes, 43
2. Bainbridge, 61
3. Lincoln, 81
4. Thomas County Central, 111
5. Lee County, 128
6. Seminole County, 183
7. Tift County, 236
8. Westover, 237
9. Berrien County, 239
10. Fitzgerald, 270
11. Cairo, 309
12. Worth County, 343
13. Albany, 350
14. Thomasville, 397
15. Baconton Charter, 399
16. Early County, 428
17. Grace Christian, 496

Top 15 High School Boys, 2015 Bearcat Invitational

1. 16:51.48 ~ Kaleb Wolfenden (Lowndes) 11
2. 16:55.46 ~ Poncherella Leonard (Bainbridge) 10
3. 17:04.40 ~ Chance Roe (Lowndes) 12
4. 17:09.80 ~ Robert Grooms (Lee County) 12
5. 17:25.21 ~ Sam Gelabert (Thomas County Central) 12
6. 17:31.57 ~ Caleb Harris (Bainbridge) 9
7. 17:33.40 ~ Clayton Carlson (Lincoln) 10
8. 17:33.60 ~ Josh Liles (Lincoln) 11
9. 17:36.35 ~ Daniel Swilley (Lowndes) 11
10. 17:52.84 ~ Hayden Bills (Lowndes) 9
11. 17:54.02 ~ Salvado Alonzo (Cairo) 12
12. 18:07.16 ~ Bennett Enfinger (Bainbridge) 12
13. 18:17.64 ~ Demetrius Gilliard (Westover) 12
14. 18:25.96 ~ Noah Owens (Thomas County Central) 10
15. 18:26.80 ~ Matthew Fisher (Tift County) 12

The distance for high school cross-country races has become more or less set at five kilometers, but the middle schools in the region sometimes race at two miles and other times at three kilometers. Tift eighth-grader Emily Golden has proven capable of winning at either distance, with victories at the Pelham Hornet Invitational on 22 August 2015, the Lee County Invitational on 12 September 2015, and the Quail Trail Invitational on 19 September 2015. Golden won again in the middle school girls' two-mile race at the Bearcat Invitational, running 13:04. Seminole County eighth-grader Macy Williams outkicked Worth County eighth-grader Brianna Zupko for second, both runners clocked in 13:19.


In addition to Golden, Tift had three more runners in the top ten, seventh-grader Noelia Sandoval (6th, 13:53), eighth-grader Caroline Vickers (8th, 14:12), and eighth-grader Rebekah Larger (9th, 14:13). Sixth-grader Ainsley Toews (11th, 14:30) finished the scoring for Tift, giving the team a winning total of 31 points. Led by eighth-grader Victoria Natoli (7th, 14:06) Lee County scored 85 points and placed second among the eleven teams in the race. Berrien County was third with 106 behind top-scorer Maddie Harper (15th, 14:59).


2015 Bearcat Invitational Team Standings, Middle School Girls

1. Tift, 31
2. Lee County, 85
3. Berrien County, 106
4. Seminole County, 129
5. Thomas County, 130
6. Whigham, 184
7. MacIntyre Park, 193
8. Baconton Charter, 199
9. Bainbridge, 200
10. Pataula Charter, 211
11. Grace Christian, 243

Top 15 Middle School Girls, 2015 Bearcat Invitational

1. 13:03.55 ~ Emily Golden (Tift) 8
2. 13:18.10 ~ Macy Williams (Seminole County) 8
3. 13:18.68 ~ Brianna Zupko (Worth County) 8
4. 13:38.31 ~ Anna James (Thomas County) 7
5. 13:49.35 ~ Meg Houston (Pataula Charter) 7
6. 13:52.86 ~ Noelia Sandoval (Tift) 7
7. 14:05.72 ~ Victoria Natoli (Lee County) 8
8. 14:11.13 ~ Caroline Vickers (Tift) 8
9. 14:12.43 ~ Rebekah Larger (Tift) 8
10. 14:23.69 ~ Emily Phillips (Lee County) 6
11. 14:29.99 ~ Ainsley Toews (Tift) 6
12. 14:53.58 ~ Megan Curry (Thomas County) 8
13. 14:57.81 ~ Willa Dyer (Lee County) 8
14. 14:57.98 ~ Katie McMillan (Tift) 7
15. 14:58.65 ~ Maddie Harper (Berrien County) 7

In the middle school boys' two-mile race, Henry Plowden also logged his fourth win of the 2015 season. The Westover eighth-grader already had wins at the Mid State Cross Country Classic on 22 August 2015, the Cougar Cross Country Challenge on 29 August 2015, and the Lee County Invitational on 12 September 2015. At the Bearcat Invitational Plowden ran away from the field, posting a time of 11:39 and finishing nearly 150 meters ahead of the next runner.


But Plowden was Westover's only entry in the race, so he didn't figure into the team scoring. The next two runners did, and they were both from Lee County--eighth-grader Benjamin Phillips was second in 12:11 and sixth-grader Josh Macklin third in 12:18.


Lee County also had a third runner in the top ten, eighth-grader Walker Pinson (10th, 12:55). Add seventh-grader Will Tomlinson (17th, 13:27) and eighth-grader Noah Bain (18th, 13:27), and Lee County had 40 points and the team title. Led by eighth-grader Morgan Bolmer (8th, 12:44), Berrien County scored 61 points and placed second among the twelve teams in the race. Tift put two runners in the top ten--seventh-graders Bryce Stephens (5th, 12:26) and Beau Bengston (7th, 12:29)--on their way to third-place showing with 71 points.


2015 Bearcat Invitational Team Standings, Middle School Boys

1. Lee County, 40
2. Berrien County, 61
3. Tift, 71
4. Bainbridge, 113
5. Thomas County, 134
6. MacIntyre Park, 152
7. Worth County, 154
8. Baconton Charter, 248
9. Seminole County, 249
10. Pataula Charter, 269
11. Whigham, 343
12. Pelham, 352

Top 15 Middle School Boys, 2015 Bearcat Invitational

1. 11:38.38 ~ Henry Plowden (Westover) 8
2. 12:10.29 ~ Benjamin Phillips (Lee County) 8
3. 12:17.23 ~ Josh Macklin (Lee County) 6
4. 12:21.21 ~ Stokes Moore (Bainbridge) 8
5. 12:25.81 ~ Bryce Stephens (Tift) 7
6. 12:28.01 ~ Gabe Parker (Grace Christian) 8
7. 12:28.43 ~ Beau Bengston (Tift) 7
8. 12:43.87 ~ Morgan Bolmer (Berrien County) 8
9. 12:45.92 ~ Lawson Brinkley (MacIntyre Park) 7
10. 12:54.78 ~ Walker Pinson (Lee County) 8
11. 12:57.59 ~ Wyatt Carpenter (Grace Christian) 8
12. 13:00.77 ~ Kenyatta Bennett (Berrien County) 8
13. 13:09.94 ~ Michael Brickle (Worth County) 6
14. 13:15.88 ~ Jeremiah Thomas (Tift) 7
15. 13:17.38 ~ Joe Emmons (Bainbridge) 8

Timing of the 2015 Bearcat Invitational was provided by Miles and Minutes, LLC, of Tallahassee, Florida.

Bainbridge High School Bearcat Cross-Country Invitational Champions 2000 - 2015
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
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
Additions and corrections to this table will be accepted gratefully. ~HW

Links

• Results of the 2015 Bainbridge High Bearcat Cross Country Invitational
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1M9LTzRTsZkF41NONY1gs9GnMePMdA6KRUUB9eM52MUo/pubhtml
  
  
• Trouble Afoot! coverage of running in Bainbridge, Georgia
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/Bainbridge
  
  
• Stop playing on the computer and run a race! You can find one here:
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1505

Colquitt County girls and Lowndes boys repeat at Quail Trail

Most of the visitors to Pebble Hill Plantation--south of Thomasville, Georgia--come to tour the house, admire the grounds, or view the butterfly garden. Some are there as wedding guests. But since 2008, on one Saturday in September, they come to run. The runners come in greater numbers than any other visitors. On Saturday morning, 19 September 2015, there were 855 high school and middle school athletes at the usually sedate plantation, competing in four different races and representing 74 different teams. It was Thomasville High's seventh annual Quail Trail Cross Country Invitational, one of the largest meetings in South Georgia.


High school competition opened at 9:00 AM with the girls' 5K. Colquitt County sophomore Elizabeth Funderburk was coming off a second-place finish at the Lee County Invitational the previous week, but no one was going to finish ahead of her at Pebble Hill. Fundberburk won the Quail Trail high school girls' 5K by more than 300 meters, running 21:00. Lowndes sophomore Phoebe Bills was second in 22:27, and Thomasville senior Rebekah Smith finished third in 22:35.


Led by the 23:19 sixth-place finish of Ashlee Golden, Tift County repeated as Quail Trail high school girls team champs, scoring a winning 70 points. Joining Golden as Tift County scorers were senior Madison Honeycutt (15th, 24:17) and juniors Harley Stephens (16th, 24:21), Abby Kay Choate (23rd, 25:07), and Lisbeth Cortes (24th, 25:07). Lee County had placed one spot ahead of Tift County a week earlier at the Lee County Invitational, but at the Quail Trail the order was reversed--Lee County was second with 84 points, led by junior Ansley Cain (13th, 24:04). Colquitt County's Lady Packers edged Lowndes for third, 99 to 101.


Team Standings, High School Girls

1. Tift County, 70
2. Lee County, 84
3. Colquitt County, 99
4. Lowndes, 101
5. Thomas County Central, 142
6. Bainbridge, 150
7. Thomasville, 162
8. Fitzgerald, 230
9. Worth County, 276
10. Pelham, 287
11. Berrien County, 292
12. Baconton Charter, 313
13. Early County, 321
14. Valdosta, 372
15. Americus-Sumter, 401
16. Cairo, 421
17. Seminole County, 493
18. Cook, 543

Top Ten High School Girls, Quail Trail 5K

1. 20:59.91 ~ Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 10
2. 22:26.72 ~ Phoebe Bills (Lowndes) 10
3. 22:34.69 ~ Rebekah Smith (Thomasville) 12
4. 22:50.92 ~ Uriyah Davis (Bainbridge) 10
5. 23:13.51 ~ Cara Eaton (Thomas County Central) 10
6. 23:18.89 ~ Ashlee Golden (Tift County) 10
7. 23:24.08 ~ Mattie Mooney (Rickards) 10
8. 23:26.83 ~ Blessing Nkembo (Rickards) 11
9. 23:28.06 ~ Alli Hay (Pataula Charter) 11
10. 23:31.48 ~ Kaitlyn Mitchell (Colquitt County) 9

In the high school boys' competition Lowndes also successfully defended a 2014 Quail Trail title, sneaking by second place Bainbridge 62 to 69. Thomas County Central was third with 93 points. The tone of the race was set when Lowndes junior Kaleb Wolfenden won the race and Bainbridge sophomore Poncherella Leonard finished runner up. Wolfenden, coming off a win at the Lee County Invitational, ran 16:48, while Leonard posted a 17:09. Lowndes senior Chance Roe was third at 17:28, and Lee County senior Robert Grooms placed fourth in 17:43. Sam Gelabert, a senior, led the Thomas County Central charge, finishing fifth in 17:53.


Like Lowndes, Bainbridge put a second runner in the top ten--Bearcat frosh Caleb Harris was tenth in 18:32. Lowndes still had the best total, finishing their scoring with frosh Hayden Bills (12th, 18:43), junior Daniel Swilley (14th, 18:47), and junior Matthew Sexton (32nd, 20:17).


Team Standings, High School Boys

1. Lowndes, 62
2. Bainbridge, 69
3. Thomas County Central, 93
4. Brookwood, 177
5. Lee County, 177
6. Seminole County, 190
7. Valdosta, 211
8. Rickards, 211
9. Berrien County, 261
10. Tift County, 268
11. Cook, 299
12. Fitzgerald, 310
13. Colquitt County, 314
14. Americus-Sumter, 364
15. Albany, 388
16. Cairo, 401
17. Thomasville, 455
18. Baconton Charter, 456
19. Early County, 507
20. Pelham, 525

Top Ten High School Boys, Quail Trail 5K

1. 16:47.40 ~ Kaleb Wolfenden (Lowndes) 11
2. 17:08.32 ~ Poncherella Leonard (Bainbridge) 10
3. 17:27.87 ~ Chance Roe (Lowndes) 12
4. 17:42.67 ~ Robert Grooms (Lee County) 12
5. 17:53.00 ~ Sam Gelabert (Thomas County Central) 12
6. 18:04.85 ~ Matthew Baun (Valdosta) 11
7. 18:12.27 ~ Jake Merritt (Colquitt County) 10
8. 18:17.83 ~ Solomon Stevens (Rickards) 12
9. 18:21.57 ~ Conley Wilhelm (Thomas County Central) 12
10. 18:31.47 ~ Caleb Harris (Bainbridge) 9

At the 2014 Quail Trail the Crusaders of Holy Comforter Episcopal School in Tallahassee, Florida, had taken the middle school girls team title, leaving Georgia's Tift Middle Schools to settle for second place. In 2015 the Tift girls had better success against the invaders. Tift eighth-grader Emily Golden won the middle school girls 3K race in 12:17, as her team put four runners in the top ten and scored 39 points to take first. Holy Comforter was second with 48 points. Eighth-graders Caroline Vickers (7th, 13:09) and Rebekah Larger (8th, 13:15), seventh-grader Noelia Sandoval (10th, 13:22), and sixth-grader Ainsley Toews also scored for Tift. The top scorers for the Crusaders were eighth-graders Avery Smith (3rd, 12:48) and Elizabeth Calabro (5th, 12:56).


Team Standings, Middle School Girls

1. Tift, 39
2. Holy Comforter, 48
3. Lee County, 119
4. Valdosta, 159
5. Viking Runners, 173
6. Cook, 197
7. Berrien County, 200
8. Thomas County, 211
9. Seminole County, 242
10. Cornerstone, 253
11. MacIntyre Park, 306
12. Bainbridge, 344
13. Whigham, 364
14. Baconton Charter, 377
15. Pataula Charter, 395
16. Early County, 404
17. Colquitt County, 413
18. Ben Hill, 483

Top Ten Middle School Girls, Quail Trail 3K

1. 12:16.32 ~ Emily Golden (Tift) 8
2. 12:43.88 ~ Eryn Wilkey (Viking Runners) 7
3. 12:47.73 ~ Avery Smith (Holy Comforter) 8
4. 12:50.20 ~ Macy Williams (Seminole County) 8
5. 12:55.28 ~ Elizabeth Calabro (Holy Comforter) 8
6. 12:59.84 ~ Brianna Zupko (Worth County) 8
7. 13:08.61 ~ Caroline Vickers (Tift) 8
8. 13:14.64 ~ Rebekah Larger (Tift) 8
9. 13:15.03 ~ Anna James (Thomas County) 7
10. 13:21.25 ~ Noelia Sandoval (Tift) 7

Carson Locke, an eighth-grader racing for the Viking Runners of Valdosta, won the middle school boys' 3K in 11:15. Holy Comforter's Joseph Ashebo outkicked Ben Phillips of Lee County 11:21 to 11:22 for the runner-up spot, setting up a struggle in the team standings between Lee County and Holy Comforter. Sixth-grader Josh Macklin finished fourth for Lee County in 11:26, but Holy Comforter put one of its own sixth graders, Leo Kelly, eighth in 11:43. Before another Lee County runner could finish, eighth-grader Brecht Heuchan (12th, 11:59), seventh-grader Jackson Jones (14th, 12:01), and sixth-grader Ben Kirbo (15th, 12:01) had scored for the Crusaders, giving Holy Comforter 51 points and the top spot in a field of 18 middle school boys' teams. Lee County was second with 82 points. Berrien County placed third with 110 points, led by eighth-grader Mitchell Kallam (7th, 11:33).


Team Standings, Middle School Boys

1. Holy Comforter, 51
2. Lee County, 82
3. Berrien County, 110
4. Tift, 156
5. MacIntyre Park, 165
6. Viking Runners, 192
7. Thomas County, 205
8. Bainbridge, 223
9. Seminole County, 253
10. Early County, 255
11. Cook, 257
12. Valdosta, 327
13. Brookwood, 340
14. Ben Hill, 375
15. Whigham, 399
16. Colquitt County, 427
17. Baconton Charter, 436
18. Pataula Charter, 476

Top Ten Middle School Boys, Quail Trail 3K

1. 11:14.96 ~ Carson Locke (Viking Runners) 8
2. 11:20.43 ~ Joseph Ashebo (Holy Comforter) 8
3. 11:21.23 ~ Benjamin Phillips (Lee County) 8
4. 11:25.23 ~ Josh Macklin (Lee County) 6
5. 11:26.45 ~ Garrett Taylor (Seminole County) 8
6. 11:32.40 ~ Bryce Stephens (Tift) 7
7. 11:32.72 ~ Mitchell Kallam (Berrien County) 8
8. 11:42.69 ~ Leo Kelly (Holy Comforter) 6
9. 11:45.89 ~ Beau Bengston (Tift) 7
10. 11:49.80 ~ Lawson Brinkley (MacIntyre Park) 7

Quail Trail Invitational team champions, 2009 - 2015
Date	Men	Women
26 September 2009	Maclay, 40 points	Maclay, 34 points
25 September 2010	Maclay, 40	Lowndes, 56
24 September 2011	Tift County, 66	Tift County, 29
29 September 2012	Maclay, 35	Lowndes, 36
28 September 2013	Bainbridge, 71	Thomas Country Central, 43
27 September 2014	Lowndes, 31	Tift County, 47
19 September 2015	Lowndes, 62	Tift County, 70

Quail Trail Invitational individual champions, 2009 - 2015
Date	Men	Women
26 September 2009	17:39, David Daniel (Thomasville) 12	18:43, Jana Stolting (Maclay) 12
25 September 2010	17:28, Hunter Honeycutt (Tift) 11	20:20, Stefanie Kurgatt (Maclay) 10
24 September 2011	16:59, Hunter Honeycutt (Tift) 12	22:35, Anna Lee Atwater (Tift) 10
29 September 2012	17:10, Travis Covert (Maclay) 12	20:26, Alison Peters (Lowndes) 11
28 September 2013	16:29, Chase Harris (Bainbridge) 11	20:33, Paige Braswell (Bainbridge) 12
27 September 2014	17:22, Dylan Rogers (Lowndes) 11	20:39, MacKenzie Morse (Lowndes) 10
19 September 2015	16:48, Kaleb Wolfenden (Lowndes) 11	21:00, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 10

Links

• Complete results of the 2015 Quail Trail Invitational Cross-Country Meet
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NYKLvXLXfTDX0T-i0tCBVLb6vKQvf3QQk7NXOR0zd-E/pubhtml
  
  
• 2014 story, “Lowndes harriers Rogers and Morse get wins at Quail Trail Invite”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/09/quail-trail-invitational-2014.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “Tales from the Trail, the second annual Quail Trail”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/09/quail-trail-2010.html
  
  
• 2009 story, “Lost on the Quail Trail”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/09/lost-on-quail-trail.html
  
  
• Other upcoming races for Eagles, Quail, and other birds on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1495

Boland and Jones County, Wolfenden and Lowndes victorious at Lee County Invite

In 1979 I traveled to Limerick, Ireland, for the World Cross Country Championships. It was in March, and for the week before the event it was the usual wretched weather that you could expect of an Irish springtime. On Thursday, two days before the races, it started raining. It was still raining on Friday, and it continued to rain through the day of the Championships. I don't remember if it stopped afterwards, so maybe it's still raining in Limerick.


The Championships went on though. The mud was so slippery that defending champion John Treacy fell down twice on his way to a win, but the races went on. Whatever the weather, cross country goes on. So on Saturday morning, 12 September 2015, when the rain went on an on and on in Leesburg, Georgia, so did the Lee County High School Cross Country Invitational.


Competition at the 2015 Lee County High Invitational started at 9:00 AM ET with the high school girls' 5K. Jones County was first in a field of 16 teams, scoring a nearly unbeatable 29 points. The Greyhounds were led by senior Kate Boland, who outran the defending champion, Colquitt County sophomore Elizabeth Funderburk to win the race in 20:43. Funderburk took second in 20:51. Jones County also put three other runners in the top ten--frosh Erin Leonard (3rd, 21:08) and juniors Kaitlyn Holder (6th, 23:00) and Frannie Pittman (7th, 23:03)--then closed out their scoring with sophomore McKinleigh Stripling (12th, 23:36). Behind the 21:47 fourth place finish of junior Tiffany Mountin, Perry placed second in the team standings with 71 points. Colquitt County was third with 111.


Team Standings, High School Girls, 2015 Lee County High Invitational

1. Jones County, 29 points
2. Perry, 71
3. Colquitt County, 111
4. Lowndes, 127
5. Westover, 127
6. Lee County, 149
7. Tift County, 184
8. Bainbridge, 209
9. Fitzgerald, 264
10. Thomasville, 296
11. Berrien County, 304
12. Marion County, 323
13. Pelham, 344
14. Americus-Sumter, 356
15. Baconton Charter, 363
16. Schley County, 437

Top Ten High School Girls, 2015 Lee County High Invitational

1. 20:42.77 ~ Kate Boland (Jones County) 12
2. 20:50.52 ~ Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 10
3. 21:07.26 ~ Erin Leonard (Jones County) 9
4. 21:46.92 ~ Tiffany Mountin (Perry) 11
5. 21:51.86 ~ Alyssa Mountin (Perry) 9
6. 22:59.46 ~ Kaitlyn Holder (Jones County) 11
7. 23:02.36 ~ Frannie Pittman (Jones County) 11
8. 23:10.16 ~ Phoebe Bills (Lowndes) 10
9. 23:25.78 ~ Kaitlyn Mitchell (Colquitt County) 9
10. 23:27.12 ~ Lydia Bills (Lowndes) 9

Lowndes had the first two runners in the high school boys race with junior Kaleb Wolfenden (1st, 17:42) and senior Chance Roe (2nd, 17:50). Add junior Daniel Swilley (8th, 19:17), frosh Hayden Bills (9th, 19:18), and sophomore Nathan Storey (35th, 21:18), and Lowndes had 52 points, the best score in the field of 20 teams. Perry's top runner finished ahead of Jones County's fastest when Perry sophomore Tanner Reid finished third in 17:52 while Jones County junior Ethan Oulsnam placed fifth in 18:51. Nevertheless, Jones County took second with 67 points while Perry was third with 71.


Team Standings, High School Boys, 2015 Lee County High Invitational

1. Lowndes, 52 points
2. Jones County, 67
3. Perry, 71
4. Bainbridge, 89
5. Valdosta, 210
6. Lee County, 221
7. Seminole County, 230
8. Berrien County, 266
9. Fitzgerald, 275
10. Tift County, 280
11. Westover, 298
12. Baconton Charter, 339
13. Americus-Sumter, 367
14. Colquitt County, 381
15. Hawkinsville, 389
16. Albany, 391
17. Thomasville, 399
18. Marion County, 519
19. Pelham, 540
20. Schley County, 588

Top Ten High School Boys, 2015 Lee County High Invitational

1. 17:41.37 ~ Kaleb Wolfenden (Lowndes) 11
2. 17:49.77 ~ Chance Roe (Lowndes) 12
3. 17:51.67 ~ Tanner Reid (Perry) 10
4. 17:52.50 ~ Matthew Baun (Valdosta) 11
5. 18:40.51 ~ Ethan Oulsnam (Jones County) 11
6. 18:54.78 ~ Poncherella Leonard (Bainbridge) 10
7. 19:00.02 ~ Caleb Harris (Bainbridge) 9
8. 19:16.92 ~ Daniel Swilley (Lowndes) 11
9. 19:17.82 ~ Hayden Bills (Lowndes) 9
10. 19:36.48 ~ Chandler Evans (Perry) 11

When Tift Middle School eighth-grader Emily Golden is in a race, the question is usually not whether or not she's going to win but by how much. At the 2015 Lee County Invitational Middle School Girls' Two Mile, the answer to "how much" was "a lot." Golden was first by nearly 200 meters, winning the race in 14:18. Tift put three more runners in the top ten--eighth graders Rebekah Larger (4th, 15:27) and Caroline Vickers (5th, 15:28) plus seventh-grader Noelia Sandoval (7th, 15:48). Once their fifth runner, sixth-grader Ainsley Toews (14th, 17:00) crossed the finish line, Tift had 29 points and the team title. Seminole County was second in the team standings with 66 points, led by a 15:03 second-place run by eighth-grader Macy Williams. Lee County totalled 73 points to take third in the eleven-team field.


Team Standings, Middle School Girls, 2015 Lee County High Invitational

1. Tift, 29 points
2. Seminole County, 66
3. Lee County, 73
4. Berrien County, 131
5. MacIntyre Park, 161
6. Schley County, 171
7. Bainbridge, 181
8. Colquitt County, 203
9. Baconton Charter, 209
10. Ben-Hill, 224
11. Marion County, 275

Top Ten Middle School Girls, 2015 Lee County High Invitational

1. 14:17.07 ~ Emily Golden (Tift) 8
2. 15:02.51 ~ Macy Williams (Seminole County) 8
3. 15:21.00 ~ Masey Tabb (Seminole County) 8
4. 15:26.63 ~ Rebekah Larger (Tift) 8
5. 15:27.07 ~ Caroline Vickers (Tift) 8
6. 15:27.72 ~ Emily Phillips (Lee County) 6
7. 15:47.26 ~ Noelia Sandoval (Tift) 7
8. 16:12.57 ~ Lydia Hardy (Mossy Creek) 8
9. 16:15.57 ~ Sarah Andrews Rucker (Pulaski) 8
10. 16:22.29 ~ Victoria Natoli (Lee County) 8

In the middle school boys' two mile, Westover eighth-grader Henry Plowden won by more than 200 meters. It was Plowden's third win of the 2015 season, coming after victories at the Mid State Cross Country Classic in Perry, Georgia, on 22 August 2015 and the Cougar Cross Country Challenge in Tallahassee, Florida, on 29 August 2015. Lee County took the next two places in the race with eighth-grader Ben Phillips finishing second in 13:18 and sixth-grader Josh Macklin third in 13:22. Those were the first five points in Lee County's team total of 53, good for the team title. Berrien County edged MacIntyre Park 74 to 81 for the second spot in the thirteen-team field.


Timing and scoring of the 2015 Lee County High Invitational were provided by Miles and Minutes, LLC, of Tallahassee, Florida.


Team Standings, Middle School Boys, 2015 Lee County High Invitational

1. Lee County, 53 points
2. Berrien County, 74
3. MacIntyre Park, 81
4. Tift, 110
5. Seminole County, 142
6. Bainbridge, 188
7. Ben-Hill, 205
8. Schley County, 222
9. Pulaski, 257
10. Baconton Charter, 269
11. Colquitt County, 274
12. Marion County, 325
13. Pelham, 333

Top Ten Middle School Boys, 2015 Lee County High Invitational

1. 12:25.83 ~ Henry Plowden (Westover) 8
2. 13:17.52 ~ Benjamin Phillips (Lee County) 8
3. 13:21.48 ~ Josh Macklin (Lee County) 6
4. 13:24.24 ~ Bryce Stephens (Tift) 7
5. 13:24.57 ~ Garrett Taylor (Seminole County) 8
6. 13:46.39 ~ Beau Bengston (Tift) 7
7. 13:53.89 ~ Baylen Young (MacIntyre Park) 7
8. 13:56.67 ~ Mitchell Kallam (Berrien County) 8
9. 14:11.24 ~ Morgan Bolmer (Berrien County) 8
10. 14:19.70 ~ Lawson Brinkley (MacIntyre Park) 7

Lee County High School Cross-Country Invitational Champions 2008 - 2015
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)
12 September 2015	Jones County, 29	20:43, Kate Boland (Jones County)
High School Boys 5K
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
13 September 2008	Tift County, 51 points	16:27, Hunter Hunneycutt (Tift County)
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)
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)

Links

• Complete results of the 2015 Lee County High School Cross Country Invitational
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1uE_GPk_itv7Mw9USTHasdsBL6oUhwNUwxB9DR_ZojTg/pubhtml
  
  
• Wet or dry, find your next race on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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