Showing posts with label MariGrace Garcia-Simmons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MariGrace Garcia-Simmons. Show all posts

Sunday, October 20, 2024

Jacob Benton and MariGrace Garcia-Simmons rejoice in wins at the Rejoice Run

Rejoice Run logoBecause Donalsonville, Georgia is a relatively small town, there are many oppotunities to run a road race there. Nevertheless, since 2007, the Rejoice Run 5K has been giving athletes an annual chance to race on the streets of Donalsonville. Such a chance was Saturday morning, 19 October 2024--the date of the seventeenth Rejoice Run 5K. Jacob Benton of Winter Springs, Florida won the race, going 19:27. MariGrace Garcia-Simmons, took the women's title, placing second overall in 21:10.


James Thompson, a sophomore on the Southwest Georgia Academy cross-country team, took second in the men's standings, coming in third overall in 22:01. Another schoolboy harrier, Whigham Middle School eighth-grader Houston Sanders, was the third man and fourth overall in 22:41. Rod Middleton of Fairhope, Alabama was the first master runner in the race, the fifth man and sixth overall in 23:56.


For MariGrace Garcia-Simmons, a sophomore member of the Southwest Georgia Academy cross-country team, it was her second year in a row of winning the Rejoice Run. It was also the fourth year in a row that a Southwest Georgia Academy harrier had won the women's division in Donalsonville; SWGA athlete Emmalee Johnson had started that streak by taking the titles in 2021 and 2022.


Iron City, Georgia athlete Mary Hunt was the first woman master in the Rejoice Run and the second female finisher, twelfth overall in 25:56. Hunt had been the first woman in the race in 2018. A few steps behind Hunt, Crystal Sekula of Bainbridge, Georgia took third in the women's standings, placing thirteenth overall in 26:01.


56 athletes finished the 2024 Rejoice Run 5K.


Top Ten Men, 2024 Rejoice Run 5K
  1. 19:26.50, Jacob Benton (M, 38) Winter Springs, FL
  2. 22:00.15, James Thompson (M, 15) Blakely, GA
  3. 22:40.32, Houston Sanders (M, 13) Cairo, GA
  4. 23:10.94, Owen Hunt (M, 14) Iron City, GA
  5. 23:55.32, Rod Middleton (M, 60) Fairhope, AL
  6. 24:09.83, Harold Benton (M, 67) Leesburg, GA
  7. 24:41.37, Craig Lenz (M, 45) Donalsonville, GA
  8. 25:18.13, Dexter Lewis (M, 37) Bainbridge, GA
  9. 25:22.10, Heath Sanders (M, 48) Cairo, GA
  10. 25:33.35, Tracy Harrison (M, 47) Whigham, GA

Top Ten Women, 2024 Rejoice Run 5K
  1. 21:09.10, Marigrace Garcia-Simmons (F, 15) Cuthbert, GA
  2. 25:55.22, Mary Hunt (F, 44) Iron City, GA
  3. 26:00.74, Crystal Sekula (F, 37) Bainbridge, GA
  4. 27:47.64, Carolyn Middleton (F, 55) Fairhope, AL
  5. 28:03.43, Ashley Shingler (F, 42) Donalsonville, GA
  6. 28:28.40, K. Smith (F, 12) Donalsonville, GA
  7. 28:42.98, Traci Hall (F, 46) Bainbridge, GA
  8. 28:55.05, Hillary Roberts (F, 17) Donalsonville, GA
  9. 28:56.24, Alison Whitfield (F, 49) Bainbridge, GA
  10. 28:59.35, Rebecca Neely (F, 37) Donalsonville, GA

Rejoice Run 5K winners, 2007 - 2024
DateMenWomenFinishers
20 October 200718:50 Myles Gibson26:18 Deborah Ansley33
18 October 200816:33 Jessie Close23:15 Erika Pemberton52
17 October 200918:20 Alex Close22:20 Debbie Wittmer59
16 October 201016:53 Jessie Close22:14 Debbie Wittmer59
15 October 201118:10 Myles Gibson25:10 Ashley Merritt67
20 October 201220:03, Mark McCarra21:49, Debbie Witmer110
19 October 201318:51, Davey Reynolds22:21, Margaret Winkler132
18 October 201416:53, Ben Pleak22:16, Margaret Winkler129
17 October 201517:51, Dustin Reynolds21:20, Macy Williams152
15 October 201616:57, Dustin Reynolds22:54, Masey Tabb143
21 October 201718:40, Tanner Norman22:48, Masey Tabb97
29 December 201818:25, Dustin Reynolds24:31, Mary Hunt49
19 December 201919:12, Myles Gibson24:49, Macy Batchelor49
17 October 2020Replaced by virtual run
16 October 202123:40, Brody Enfinger24:30, Emmalee Johnson46
15 October 202218:08, Walter Elrod23:11, Emmalee Johnson59
21 October 202320:29, Christian Freeman23:44, MariGrace Garcia-Simmons54
19 October 202419:27, Jacob Benton21:10, Marigrace Garcia-Simmons56


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Posted by Herb Wills at 6:30 PM 2 comments
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Saturday, October 21, 2023

Christian Freeman and MariGrace Garcia-Simmons race to a high school sweep of the Rejoice Run

Rejoice Run logoIn Donalsonville, Georgia, first-year high school harriers led a prep sweep of the Rejoice Run 5K on Saturday morning, 21 October 2023. Christian Freeman, a frosh cross-country runner at Early County High, won the sixteenth annual event in 20:29. Southwest Georgia Academy ninth-grader MariGrace Garcia-Simmons finished at the top of the women's division in 23:44, placing sixth overall.


Owen Hunt, an eighth-grader on the Southwest Georgia Academy cross-country team, finished runner-up to Freeman in 21:55. In a battle between two Seminole County athletes, senior Dylan Chase edged sophomore Heath Baumgardner for third, 23:02 to 23:03.


Christian Freeman had won the men's competition by more than 300 meters. The women's race was much closer, with inches separating the top three athletes. MariGrace Garcia-Simmons made it home first, just ahead of Geisha Smith, a Seminole County junior. Both athletes were clocked in 23:44. Right behind them in 23:45 was the 2022 Rejoice Run 5K women's champ--Southwest Georgia Academy junior Emmalee Johnson, third in the women's standings. Garcia-Simmons, Smith, and Johnson were fifth, sixth, and seventh overall.


Donalsonville athlete Sean Wilson was the first master runner in the race, finishing sixth in the men's standings and ninth overall in 24:45. Mary Hunt was the first woman master and fourth female finisher, twelfth overall in 25:21. Hunt had been the first woman in the 2018 race.


54 athletes finished the 2023 Rejoice Run 5K.


Top Ten Men, 2023 Rejoice Run 5K
  1. 20:28.19, Christian Freeman (M, 14) Blakely, GA
  2. 21:54.96, Owen Hunt (M, 13)
  3. 23:01.08, Dylan Chase (M, 18)
  4. 23:02.38, Heath Baumgardner (M, 15)
  5. 23:44.63, James Thompson (M, 14)
  6. 24:44.69, Sean C. Wilson (M, 50) Donalsonville, GA
  7. 25:15.73, Joey Harvey (M, 62) Jakin, GA
  8. 25:19.03, Rhett Holt (M, 15) Colquitt, GA
  9. 25:59.33, Leon Owens (M, 17)
  10. 26:00.16, D. Dixon (M, 11)

Top Ten Women, 2023 Rejoice Run 5K
  1. 23:43.04, MariGrace Garcia-Simmons (F, 14)
  2. 23:43.75, Geisha Smith (F, 16)
  3. 23:44.31, Emmalee Johnson (F, 16)
  4. 25:20.46, Mary Hunt (F, 43)
  5. 27:13.44, Ashley Shingler (F, 41) Donalsonville, GA
  6. 28:04.60, Rebecca Neely (F, 36) Donalsonville, GA
  7. 30:22.81, Amelia Smith (F, 27) Donalsonville, GA
  8. 31:27.49, Kristie Gilley (F, 40) Bainbridge, GA
  9. 31:43.35, Brynley Bennett (F, 14)
  10. 32:41.36, Cathy Jones (F, 64) Lawrenceville, GA

Rejoice Run 5K winners, 2007 - 2023
DateMenWomenFinishers
20 October 200718:50 Myles Gibson26:18 Deborah Ansley33
18 October 200816:33 Jessie Close23:15 Erika Pemberton52
17 October 200918:20 Alex Close22:20 Debbie Wittmer59
16 October 201016:53 Jessie Close22:14 Debbie Wittmer59
15 October 201118:10 Myles Gibson25:10 Ashley Merritt67
20 October 201220:03, Mark McCarra21:49, Debbie Witmer110
19 October 201318:51, Davey Reynolds22:21, Margaret Winkler132
18 October 201416:53, Ben Pleak22:16, Margaret Winkler129
17 October 201517:51, Dustin Reynolds21:20, Macy Williams152
15 October 201616:57, Dustin Reynolds22:54, Masey Tabb143
21 October 201718:40, Tanner Norman22:48, Masey Tabb97
29 December 201818:25, Dustin Reynolds24:31, Mary Hunt49
19 December 201919:12, Myles Gibson24:49, Macy Batchelor49
17 October 2020Replaced by virtual run
16 October 202123:40, Brody Enfinger24:30, Emmalee Johnson46
15 October 202218:08, Walter Elrod23:11, Emmalee Johnson59
21 October 202320:29, Christian Freeman23:44, MariGrace Garcia-Simmons54


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Posted by Herb Wills at 8:39 PM 0 comments
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