Showing posts with label Landon Reeves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Landon Reeves. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Acadia Hassell and Landon Reeves outrace their rivals at the Tallahassee Open

By 10 October 2023, there were less than three weeks left till the Florida Youth Running Association Middle School Cross-Country Championship. That Tuesday afternoon, though, there was at least one more act left in Tallahassee's middle school cross-country season--Holy Comforter Episcopal School's Tallahassee Open. Acadia Hassell won the girls' 3K by close to 100 meters, running 12:09, while the Holy Comforter girls took the team title with 31 points. Landon Reeves, a Community Christian eighth-grader, won the boys' 3K for the second year in a row, covering the course in 10:12. Maclay had the top boys' team, putting up a winning score of 47.

Acadia Hassell
Acadia Hassell

The middle school girls' 3K started just before 5:15. Earlier, the meet had opened with a mile race for elementary school aged athletes. As a fifth-grader, Acadia Hassell was eligible for the shorter race, but passed on it.


"I prefer longer distances," explained Hassell.

Chloe Molen
Chloe Molen

The early leader in the 3K, though, was Chloe Molen--a Deerlake eighth-grader competing unattached. Half a kilometer into the race, Molen already had a lead of 30 meters. Running more patiently, Hassell was back in seventh place. Molen still led at the halfway point, but Hassell had moved into second and was starting to close.


The second half of the race had barely started when Hassell overtook Molen. By the two-kilometer mark, Hassell had opened a gap, a gap she continued to widen. Molen fell back, ultimately finishing ninth. But Hassell forged on, crossing the finish line in a winning 12:09. Julia Robinson, a Florida State University School eighth-grader, took second in 12:33. Holy Comforter sixth-grader Mackenzie McVay was third in 12:38.

Julia Robinson
Julia Robinson

Holy Comforter put three more Crusaders in the top ten--sixth-grader Madison McVay was sixth in 12:50, sixth-grader Elaine Ungru was seventh in 12:52, and eighth-grader Lillian Anway was eighth in 12:55. When Crusader sixth-grader Eleanor Blalock came home thirteenth in 13:27, the Holy Comforter girls had 31 points, good for first place in the seven-team field.


Julia Robinson and her Florida State teammates were a close second with 38 points. Maclay was third with 73 points; their top finisher was eighth-grader Mallory Van Leuven, eleventh in 13:20.

Mackenzie McVay, Brixton Menendez
Brixton Menendez and Mackenzie McVay

Girls' Team Standings, 2023 Tallahassee Open Middle School XC Championship
  1. Holy Comforter Episcopal, 31
  2. Florida State University, 38
  3. Maclay, 73
  4. Raa, 91
  5. Community Leadership, 150
  6. Trinity Catholic, 159
  7. Tallahassee Classical, 207

Top 10 Girls, 2023 Tallahassee Open Middle School XC Championship
  1. 12:08.90, Acadia Hassell (Unattached) 5
  2. 12:32.50, Julia Robinson (Florida State University) 8
  3. 12:37.40, Mackenzie McVay (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 6
  4. 12:43.10, Brixton Menendez (Raa) 7
  5. 12:45.20, Elin Quisenberry (Florida State University) 7
  6. 12:49.50, Madison McVay (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 6
  7. 12:51.30, Elaine Ungru (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 6
  8. 12:54.20, Lillian Anway (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 8
  9. 12:56.30, Chloe Molen (Unattached) 8
  10. 13:18.20, Vera Vanlandingham (Florida State University) 6

Had this been Acadia Hassell's first time racing on Holy Comforter's home venue, Lawson's Course?

"No, I ran here a couple other times," said Hassell.

Landon Reeves
Landon Reeves
Likewise, Community Christian's Landon Reeves was no stranger to Lawson's Course. "I've probably run here six times," he said.


Two of those prior appearances were wins; one at the 2022 Tallahassee Open and another at the 2023 Crusader Cross-Country Classic. The road to Reeves' third win wasn't without potholes, however. Immediately after the start of the 2023 Tallahassee Open boys' 3K, a Florida State runner went down right in front of Reeves. The field wasn't recalled. Reeves maneuvered around the fallen athlete and resumed racing. Half a kilometer later he was leading. Just behind Reeves was Emari Thomas, a Fairview eighth-grader competing for the Panhandle Express. Five days earlier, Thomas had won the Leon County Schools' 2023 Middle School Cross-Country Championship.

Emari Thomas
Emari Thomas

Reeves and Thomas were still the first two runners at the halfway point of the race, but Reeves was 50 meters ahead of Thomas by then. That gap grew during the second half of the 3K. Reeves finished the race with a lead of nearly 150 meters, winning in 10:12. Thomas was runner-up in 10:42. James Mogg, a Trinity Catholic eighth-grader, took third in 11:01, and Raa eighth-grader Carson Weiss was fourth in 11:12.


Raa had one more athlete in the top ten; seventh-grader Emerson Gandy placed sixth in 11:20. But Maclay also had two athletes in the top ten--eighth-grader Andrew Campbell was seventh in 11:33 and eighth-grader Henry Proctor was ninth in 11:48. Maclay's next three Marauders were seventh-graders Mirko Usina (13th, 11:57), Grant Ulrich (16th, 12:01), and Wesley Seise (18th, 12:04). With Seise across the finish line, Maclay had 47 points and first place in an eleven-team field.

James Mogg
James Mogg

With 57 points, Raa had to settle for second. Holy Comforter was third with 69 points; the first Crusader in the race was seventh-grader Matthew Nowels, tenth in 11:52.


Boys' Team Standings, 2023 Tallahassee Open Middle School XC Championship
  1. Maclay, 47
  2. Raa, 57
  3. Holy Comforter Episcopal, 69
  4. Community Christian, 115
  5. Trinity Catholic, 146
  6. Christ Classical, 177
  7. Wakulla, 187
  8. Tallahassee Classical, 222
  9. Community Leadership, 242
  10. Cornerstone, 263
  11. Riversprings, 267

Top 10 Boys, 2023 Tallahassee Open Middle School XC Championship
  1. 10:11.70, Landon Reeves (Community Christian) 8
  2. 10:42.00, Emari Thomas (Panhandle Express) 8
  3. 11:00.60, James Mogg (Trinity Catholic) 8
  4. 11:11.10, Carson Weiss (Raa) 8
  5. 11:15.40, Lawson Phillips (Florida State University) 7
  6. 11:19.10, Emerson Gandy (Raa) 7
  7. 11:32.50, Andrew Campbell (Maclay) 8
  8. 11:35.10, Lincoln Eisenberg (Community Christian) 8
  9. 11:47.10, Henry Proctor (Maclay) 8
  10. 11:51.90, Matthew Nowels (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 7

Tallahassee Open winners, 2014 - 2023
Boys
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
23 October 2014Maclay, 189:42, Clayburn Milford (Maclay) 8
15 October 2015Holy Comforter, 2710:25, Jacob D'Aleo (Emerald Coast) 8
13 October 2016Holy Comforter, 1711:05, Jackson Yarbrough (Holy Comforter) 7
12 October 2017Holy Comforter, 3510:45, Thomas Ashby (Burns) 7
17 October 2018Fairview, 5311:11, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 7
8 October 2019Holy Comforter, 2111:10, William Springer (Holy Comforter) 8
6 October 2020Holy Comforter, 4510:50, Noah Deem (Community Leadership) 8
12 October 2021Community Christian, 4811:08, Luke Meli (Community Christian) 8
11 October 2022Red Hills, 2810:32, Landon Reeves (Community Christian) 7
10 October 2023Maclay, 4710:12, Landon Reeves (Community Christian) 8
Girls
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
23 October 2014Holy Comforter, 2711:28, Katherine Resavage (Holy Comforter) 8
15 October 2015Holy Comforter, 2111:23, Emily Molen (Deerlake) 8
13 October 2016Maclay, 1711:35, Lindsay James (Maclay) 8
12 October 2017Holy Comforter, 2212:36, Mary Clayton Soto (Holy Comforter) 6
17 October 2018Maclay, 3112:10, Ella Porcher (Maclay) 8
17 October 2018Maclay, 1912:02, Susan Gracie Koeppel (Maclay) 8
6 October 2020Maclay, 1511:35, Clifton Lewis (Unattached) 7
12 October 2021Maclay, 1711:40, Lillian Koeppel (Maclay) 8
11 October 2022Red Hills, 1512:03, Charlotte Sikes (Red Hills) 6
10 October 2023Holy Comforter, 3112:09, Acadia Hassell (Unattached) 6


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Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Julia Robinson and Landon Reeves were the class of the Crusader Classic

It was a damp Tuesday afternoon at Holy Comforter Episcopal School in Tallahassee, Florida on 26 September 2023. But a little rain never stopped a cross-country runner, and it certainly didn't slow down the harriers who came to race that day at Holy Comforter's annual Crusader Classic. Florida State University School eighth-grader Julia Robinson won the girls' 3K, edging teammate, seventh-grader Elin Quisenberry, 13:23 to 13:27. The two set up a Florida State win in the team competition. In the boys' 3K, Community Christian eighth-grader Landon Reeves threw down a winning 10:38, while the Maclay boys scored 41 points to take the team title.

Julia Robinson
Julia Robinson

The rain had paused at 5:15 when the middle school girls' race started. By the 800-meter mark, a lead pack on nine runners had separated from the field with Florida State's Julia Robinson setting the page. All five Florida State scorers were in the lead pack. At halfway, Robinson was still ahead and the lead pack was down to five runners. With 700 meters to go the pace group had dwindled to three--Robinson, Florida State's Elin Quisenberry, and Holy Comforter sixth-grader Mackenzie McVay.


But Robinson had already gained a few steps on Quisenberry and McVay. She increased that advantage on the way to finish line, crossing first in 13:23. Quisenberry took second in 13:27, and McVay placed third in 13:30.

2023 Crusader Cross-Country Classic
Early leaders in the girls' 3K

After Robinson and Quisenberry, Florida State had three more scorers in the top ten--


eighth-grader Penelope Cabezas was seventh in 14:15, sixth-grader Vera Vanlandingham was eighth in 14:21, and seventh-grader Olivia Gibson was tenth in 14:40. It added up to 28 points and first place for the Seminoles.

FSUS girls' cross-country squad
FSUS Girls

Holy Comforter, the host team, placed second with 39 points, led by Mackenzie McVay. The Maclay girls were third with 59 points; Maclay's first runner was eighth-grader Mary Price, fifth in 14:07.


2023 Crusader Classic Team Standings (Girls)
  1. Florida State University, 28
  2. Holy Comforter Episcopal, 39
  3. Maclay, 59
  4. Marianna, 117
  5. Trinity Catholic, 126
  6. Franklin County, NTS
    Christ Classical, NTS
    Community Leadership, NTS
    Community Christian, NTS
    Riversprings, NTS
    Cornerstone, NTS
    Wakulla, NTS
    Tallahassee Classical, NTS

Top Ten Girls, 2023 Crusader Classic 3K
  1. 13:22.00, Julia Robinson (Florida State University) 8
  2. 13:26.50, Elin Quisenberry (Florida State University) 7
  3. 13:29.20, Mackenzie McVay (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 6
  4. 13:52.70, Madison McVay (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 6
  5. 14:06.50, Mary Price (Maclay) 8
  6. 14:15.00, Mallory Van Leuven (Maclay) 8
  7. 14:18.40, Penelope Cabezas (Florida State University) 8
  8. 14:20.10, Vera Vanlandingham (Florida State University) 6
  9. 14:20.90, Lillian Anway (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 8
  10. 14:39.70, Olivia Gibson (Florida State University) 7

The middle school boys got their chance at the soggy, three-kilometer course at 5:45. Almost from the gun, two athletes charged out ahead of the rest--eighth-grader Landon Reeves of Community Christian and Maclay eighth-grader Logan Phipps. Reeves and Phipps were already 30 meters ahead at the 800-meter mark, with eighth-grader James Mogg of Trinity Catholic in pursuit. Reeves and Phipps continued to increase their lead, racing together through halfway. During the second half of the race, though, Reeves began to pull away from Phipps.
Landon Reeves
Landon Reeves

Holy Comforter is building a track, but on the day of the Crusader Classic that future track was still just a wide, oval ditch filled with rainwater. The final 300 meters of the race went around the outside of the track-to-be. When Reeves arrived there he had broken contact with Phipps. Reeves crossed the finish line with a lead of nearly 50 meters, winning the race in 10:38. Phipps took the runner-up spot in 10:48 and Mogg was third in 11:39.


Maclay had two more athletes in the top ten, with ; eighth-graders Andrew Campbell (7th, 12:47) and Henry Proctor (9th, 12:51). Maclay's remaining scorers were seventh-graders Mirko Usina (13th, 13:04) and Wesley Seise (14th, 13:08), giving the Marauders 41 points and first in the boys' team standings. Holy Comforter, led by eighth-grader Joshua Butera (8th, 12:51) placed second with 53 points. Mogg and Trinity Catholic scored 79 points, taking third.

2023 Crusader Cross-Country Classic
Start of the boys' 3K

Miles and Minutes, LLC, of Tallahassee timed and scored the 2023 Crusader Cross-Country Classic. Holy Comforter hosts one more meet on their home course this season, the Tallahassee Open on Tuesday, 10 October 2023.


2023 Crusader Classic Team Standings (Boys)
  1. Maclay, 41
  2. Holy Comforter Episcopal, 53
  3. Trinity Catholic, 79
  4. Community Christian, 111
  5. Marianna, 127
  6. Christ Classical, 176
  7. Wakulla, 180
  8. Tallahassee Classical, 234
  9. Community Leadership, 243
  10. Riversprings, 252
  11. Cornerstone, 285
  12. Florida State University, NTS

Top Ten Boys, 2023 Crusader Classic 3K
  1. 10:37.60, Landon Reeves (Community Christian) 8
  2. 10:47.50, Logan Phipps (Maclay) 8
  3. 11:38.20, James Mogg (Trinity Catholic) 8
  4. 12:13.40, Lincoln Eisenberg (Community Christian) 8
  5. 12:20.10, Lawson Phillips (Florida State University) 7
  6. 12:38.00, Asher McGrew (Trinity Catholic) 8
  7. 12:46.40, Andrew Campbell (Maclay) 8
  8. 12:50.00, Joshua Butera (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 8
  9. 12:50.40, Henry Proctor (Maclay) 8
  10. 12:58.90, Andrew Barnes (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 8

Links
#2985

Thursday, October 13, 2022

Charlotte Sikes and Landon Reeves score firsts at the Tallahassee Open

If you wanted to point to one event as the end of the middle school cross-country season in Tallahassee, Florida, you'd probably choose the Tallahassee Open. Hosted by Holy Comforter Episcopal School on their home course, year after year the meet has been the last chance for middle school harriers to race in Tallahassee. The edition of the Open on Tuesday afternoon, 11 October 2012, was no exception. Charlotte Sikes, the Swift Creek Middle School sixth-grader, won the girls' 3K, running 12:03. Top team honors went to the home team, the Holy Comforter girls' squad, with 45 points. In the boys' 3K, Community Christian seventh-grader Landon Reeves threw down a winning 10:32, while the Maclay boys took first in the team standings with 29 points.


For Charlotte Sikes, it was her ninth cross-country win since August. Sikes had opened the 2022 season by taking the girls' title in the Miller Landing Madness 3K, then proceeded to win all six girls' three-kilometer races in the Leon County Schools' middle school cross-country season--including the LCS League Championship. Along the way, she had also picked up a win in the girls' 3K at the Big Bend Cross-Country Invitational.

Charlotte Sikes
Charlotte Sikes

At Holy Comforter's Tallahassee Open, Sikes had traded her Swift Creek racing kit for the colors of the Red Hills Running Club; she scored her 12:03 win racing for Red Hills. Another Red Hills athlete, Deerlake sixth-grader Emma-Claire Tanenbaum, took second in 12:26. Deerlake seventh-grader Chloe Molen, also racing for Red Hills, grabbed third with a 12:31.


In fact, Red Hills athletes took the first six places, but Red Hills wasn't included in the team competition. The Holy Comforter girls were, though, and the first Crusader across the finish line was fifth-grader Vera VanLandingham, eleventh in 13:17. Four more Crusaders cracked the top twenty--fifth-grader Madison McVay (14th, 13:35), fifth-grader Mackenzie McVay (18th, 13:49), eighth-grader Regan Mayfield (19th, 13:49), and eighth-grader Paeton Cheesborough--giving the Holy Comforter girls 45 points and the team title.


Maclay School took second in the nine-team field, led by eighth-grader Ellie Mazziotta (13th, 13:25). The Seminoles of Florida State University School were third with 60 points; their top runner was eighth-grader Leah Boutwell (8th, 13:07).


Girls' Team Standings, 2022 Tallahassee Open Middle School XC Championship
  1. Holy Comforter Episcopal, 45
  2. Maclay, 61
  3. Florida State University, 80
  4. Riversprings, 105
  5. Christ Classical, 125
  6. Trinity Catholic, 152
  7. Community Leadership, 169
  8. Cornerstone, 204

Top 10 Girls, 2022 Tallahassee Open Middle School XC Championship
  1. 12:02.80, Charlotte Sikes (Red Hills Running Club) 6
  2. 12:25.10, Emma-Claire Tanenbaum (Red Hills Running Club) 6
  3. 12:30.30, Chloe Molen (Red Hills Running Club) 7
  4. 12:31.50, Haley Heitmeyer (Red Hills Running Club) 8
  5. 12:42.80, Savannah Stanley (Red Hills Running Club) 8
  6. 12:47.40, Andi Vilardo (Red Hills Running Club) 8
  7. 12:57.10, Morgan Lynes (Christ Classical) 8
  8. 13:06.40, Leah Boutwell (Florida State University) 8
  9. 13:07.10, Emma Hammett (Christ Classical) 8
  10. 13:11.60, Julia Robinson (Florida State University) 7

Just a week earlier, Landon Reeves had raced at Holy Comforter in the middle school boys' 3K of the Crusader Cross-Country Classic. He had placed fourth in that first effort, going 10:53. Reeves didn't intend to finish behind anyone at the Tallahassee Open, though. Improving his time on the course to 10:32, the Community Christian seventh-grader nabbed first. Another seventh-grader, Maclay's Logan Phipps, claimed the runner-up spot with a 10:38. Maclay eighth-grader David Barton took third in 10:41.


Maclay got another top-ten finish from sixth-grader Wesley Seise, who placed tenth in 11:44. Maclay's remaining two scorers were sixth-grader Mirko Usina (19th, 12:16) and seventh-grader Henry Proctor (20th, 12:20), giving the Marauders 29 points and first place among ten teams.


Trinity Catholic put up 68 points for second, led by their seventh-grader James Mogg (8th, 11:09). Host team Holy Comforter was third with 87 points; the top Crusader was sixth-grader Matthew Nowels (17th, 12:08).


Miles and Minutes, LLC, of Tallahassee timed and scored the meet.


Boys' Team Standings, 2022 Tallahassee Open Middle School XC Championship
  1. Maclay, 29
  2. Trinity Catholic, 68
  3. Holy Comforter Episcopal, 87
  4. Florida State University, 104
  5. Christ Classical, 140
  6. Riversprings, 171
  7. Community Leadership, 180
  8. Tallahassee Classical, 218
  9. Cornerstone, 236

Top 10 Boys, 2022 Tallahassee Open Middle School XC Championship
  1. 10:31.60, Landon Reeves (Community Christian) 7
  2. 10:37.40, Logan Phipps (Maclay) 7
  3. 10:40.40, David Barton (Maclay) 8
  4. 10:45.10, Jonathan Kiros (Red Hills Running Club) 8
  5. 10:49.80, Gavin Poucher (Red Hills Running Club) --
  6. 11:04.10, Trent Parsons (Red Hills Running Club) 8
  7. 11:07.10, Salvatore Giove (Red Hills Running Club) 8
  8. 11:08.70, James Mogg (Trinity Catholic) 7
  9. 11:11.10, Yoshi Hutt (Florida State University) 8
  10. 11:43.70, Wesley Seise (Maclay) 6

Tallahassee Open winners, 2014 - 2021
Boys
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
23 October 2014Maclay, 189:42, Clayburn Milford (Maclay) 8
15 October 2015Holy Comforter, 2710:25, Jacob D'Aleo (Emerald Coast) 8
13 October 2016Holy Comforter, 1711:05, Jackson Yarbrough (Holy Comforter) 7
12 October 2017Holy Comforter, 3510:45, Thomas Ashby (Burns) 7
17 October 2018Fairview, 5311:11, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 7
8 October 2019Holy Comforter, 2111:10, William Springer (Holy Comforter) 8
6 October 2020Holy Comforter, 4510:50, Noah Deem (Community Leadership) 8
12 October 2021Community Christian, 4811:08, Luke Meli (Community Christian) 8
11 October 2022Maclay, 2910:32, Landon Reeves (Community Christian) 7
Girls
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
23 October 2014Holy Comforter, 2711:28, Katherine Resavage (Holy Comforter) 8
15 October 2015Holy Comforter, 2111:23, Emily Molen (Deerlake) 8
13 October 2016Maclay, 1711:35, Lindsay James (Maclay) 8
12 October 2017Holy Comforter, 2212:36, Mary Clayton Soto (Holy Comforter) 6
17 October 2018Maclay, 3112:10, Ella Porcher (Maclay) 8
17 October 2018Maclay, 1912:02, Susan Gracie Koeppel (Maclay) 8
6 October 2020Maclay, 1511:35, Clifton Lewis (Unattached) 7
12 October 2021Maclay, 1711:40, Lillian Koeppel (Maclay) 8
11 October 2022Holy Comforter, 4512:03, Charlotte Sikes (Red Hills) 6


Links
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