September 9-15 Recap
Mooreville XC Invitational
On this extremely muddy and curvy course, runners were pushed out of their comfort zone to finish the race. For the boys, Bailey Kosko of Oxford High School started off hard with an opening mile of 5:02. During the back half of the race, Bailey struggled to hold onto his speed as the course became muddier and added countless turns. After a brutal last mile, Bailey finished at 17:09 to achieve the day's fastest time. This performance also led the Oxford boys to land the team win with a total of 42 points and an average of 18:33.
The girl's race was no different when it came to the brutality of the course. Kyleigh Carter from Hernando started the race hard and took the initial lead going into the first mile. However, Ella Shepherd from Caledonia did not let her out of her sight. Shortly after the second mile, Ella made the pass and took the lead in stride. Within the last mile, she made a 15-second gap and earned her second win of the season. Despite earning the win for her team, the Caledonia squad was unable to pull out the win and fell just five points short of the Hernando team. Kyleigh led her team to 56 points and a 23:08 average.
Over in Alabama, several Mississippi athletes competed in the Southern Showcase. Despite the muddy conditions, our athletes put up solid times. On the boy side, the brothers from Regents of Oxford threw down the fastest times from a Mississippi athlete. Senior Samual Bryan led the Mississippi teams with his time of 16:18 and a 36th-place overall finish. Right behind him was Tristan Bryan, finishing in 55th place with a time of 16:42. These two brothers have been competing with each other for years and this 2024 season is no different. As the season progresses, these brothers will be a dual threat at every meet and will most likely reign supreme over the MAIS rankings.
On the girl's side of the race, Tupelo's Brookelyn Morgan took the fastest Mississippi girl's time that day. She placed 34th overall with a time of 19:28. This time is extremely impressive, considering she had just run 19:27 the week before on a much more dry and fast course. If she can run this fast on a muddy and rainy day, there is no telling what she can do later on in the season. She will be competing at the Saltillo Invitational, a notoriously fast course where she will race against top athletes Blair Britt and Jewel Baker.
Hickory Flat Invitational
On the boys side of the race, Ryder Warhurst from Alcorn Central led his team to a podium sweep with his time of 17:26. Ryder has been on the comeup this season and has already dropped almost a minute off of his personal best from last year. One reason for his boost in performance may have been motivated by his teammate Nathan Williams, who finished runner-up behind Ryder. Both runners hold similar personal bests and will no doubt continue to push each other later on in the season.
For the girl's race, Caroline Sherrod of Westminster Academy High School in Tennessee won the day with a time of 21:43. Behind her was Sarah Childs of Kossuth High School who finished with a time of 21:51. This race marks a new personal best for her as she continues to progress in her first cross country season. Her first-place finish helped lead her team to victory with Kossuth High School racking up 24 points and a 23:14 average.
Okatibbee Classic
At the Okatibbee Classic, runners were met with even more rain and mud. Evan Hallford from Neshoba Central was not met with much competition as he cruised to a win in 17:23. Evan is coming off a sixth-place finish at The Opener where he ran 16:43 and led the competition through the first mile. He has already made big leaps from his performances from last year and will only get faster once he gets his feet on a solid course and some good weather.
Forerunners Light it Up at Lakeshore
At the Forerunners Light it Up at Lakeshore meet, Samantha Edwards from Saint Aloysius HS earned her second win of the season. Samantha won the varsity girl's race by almost an entire minute. Last weekend she won the French Camp Invitational with her first sub-20 performance and she has kept her momentum going after this win in Hattiesburg. She will compete this weekend in Louisana and will get her first taste of some out-of-state competition.