Varsity Girls Gold 5K
Simpson Academy now has the best duo in the state of Mississippi.
As a matter of fact, you can't get any better than 1-2 in the entire state of Mississippi.
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*Lilly Overby, Simpson Academy
Photo credits: Ben Woolhouse
At the 2022 Simpson Academy Invitational, Lilly Overby became the first Mississippi High School Girl of the season to break 19 minutes in the 5K, taking the win in 18:55.
After the Gold Varsity Girls 5K, Layla Warren, Overby's teammate, became the second. Warren was the second Mississippian across the line and sixth overall in 18:59.8.
The first Mississippian across the line? Overby in a new PR of 18:51.. The Simpson star stuck her nose in the lead pack and used the low sticks of St. Joseph Academy to finish in fourth place overall.
As for Warren, she had a phenomenal battle with Hartfield's Ella Rankin, the All-MileSplit Mississippi XC No. 4. Neither runner gave each an inch the entire race, resulting in the No. 2 and 3 fastest 5K times in Mississippi this season.
RANKINGS: 2022 Mississippi High School Girls 5K List
Rankin finished third in Mississippi competition and eighth overall in a 5K season best of 19:02.3, just one second off her personal best.
When asking Overby on how she stayed mentally tough during the second half of her race, Overby said, "I knew this was going to be a great race, as some of the top runners in the state were going to be there. I knew that I needed to stay focused and run my race, because I wanted to achieve my goal no matter what."
Burge and Cartwright led Hernando, the No. 1 ranked High School girl's team in Mississippi, to a second-place finish behind St. Joseph Academy of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Lady Tigers were the No. 1 Mississippi team, earning that title by a mere 3 points over MAIS 5A program East Rankin Academy, the No. 2 ranked High School girls team in Mississippi.
East Rankin, the 2021 MAIS 5A Cross Country Champions, had a phenomenal showing of four in the top 25 and a 1-4 spread of 19 seconds. 19:30 5K runner Leah Collipp, No. 7 on the All-MileSplit Mississippi XC team, led the way for the Lady Patriots in 20:02.3. Middle-distance aces Emily Williams and Audrey Mayatte were also a part of the East Rankin quartet.
RESULTS: 2021 MAIS 5A Cross Country Championships
The performance that surprised us the most, however, was the 7th-grader Emma Raines in a 5K PR of 20:08.2, beating the odds to place 19th overall, as well as the top 7th-grader in the entire field.
*Emily Williams and Emma Raines finishing the 2022 2022 Watson Cross Country Classic
Photo credits: Ben Woolhouse
Hernando's top-end proved too great, however, and showcased their depth as they were without sub-20 5K runner Riley Jackson, the 2021 MHSAA 6A Cross Country runner-up who usually finished as their No. 2 or 3 runner.
Simpson Academy finished as the third Mississippi team, 16 points behind their MAIS 5A rivals. Hernando, East Rankin, and Simpson also qualified for the 2022 Mississippi All-State Cross Country Championships via 5K average.
Complete list of athletes that met the MileSplit USA High School Girls Second-Team Standard:
| MARK | ATHLETE | TEAM | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18:51.40 | Lilly Overby | Simpson Academy | ||
| 18:59.80 | Layla Warren | Simpson Academy | ||
| 19:02.30 | Ella Rankin | Hartfield Academy | ||
| 19:11.10 | Kaitlyn Burge | Hernando High School | ||
| 19:16.60 | Jessica Cartwright | Hernando High School | ||
| 19:31.40 | Brookelyn Morgan | Tupelo High School | ||
| 19:35.20 | Alex Lee | Madison Central HS |
RELATED LINKS
LAST YEAR RESULTS: 2021 Watson Cross Country Classic
READ NEXT: Top 25 modern performances at Choctaw Trails: High School Girls
RANKINGS: High School Girls Individual | High School Girls Team
OTHER RECAPS: 2022 Watson Cross Country Classic - Blue Division | Silver Division | Junior High
2022 Watson Cross Country Classic Gold Varsity Boys 5K recap on next page >>>