It's hard to imagine the Aledo cross country program finding new ways to succeed, but it happened again at the Class 5A Region I Meet at Mae Simmons Park in Lubbock.
The Ladycats and Bearcats are both returning to state - something that happened for the first time in 2023. However, this year, both teams earned a spot on the medal stand as the Ladycats repeated as regional champions and the Bearcats finished third.
Last season's Bearcats squad, while advancing to state, placed fourth in the region. Only the top three get medals, though.
"It was fantastic, just an amazing day," Aledo coach Mike Pinkerton said. "Getting the boys up there with the girls just made for a very special day."
Individually, Molly Garrison of the Ladycats finished second with a time of 18 minutes, 22.40 seconds over the 5K course. Two other Aledo girls placed in the top 10, Micah Neal was seventh in 19:18.70 and Mykel Murry was eighth in 19:19.80.
Two Bearcats broke into the top 10 with Tyler Connelly taking fifth with a clocking of 16:14.50 and Jack Fink placing sixth in 16:17.90.
For Fink, it will be his fourth consecutive season to compete at state. He has qualified with the entire Bearcats team three times and individually as a sophomore.
The Ladycats entered regional competition as the top seed, while the Bearcats were seeded fifth. The top four teams and top 10 individuals not on those teams qualified for state at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock on Nov. 2.
The Ladycats, who had a team total of 51 points, will be joined in Round Rock by runner-up Colleyville Heritage (85 points), Abilene (101) and Grapevine (148). Joining the Bearcats, who scored 149 points, will be regional champion Grapevine (88), runner-up Colleyville Heritage (114) and fourth-place El Paso Burges (158).
Last season the Ladycats finished second at state behind Lovejoy, which has won multiple state championships.
"Lovejoy is like a broken record and I'm ready to go break that record," Pinkerton said.
Rounding out individual results for the Ladycats are Sofia Brandenburg, 13th, 19:49.10; Madison Larsen, 26th, 20:18.90; and Mayden Mitchell, 30th, 20:33.00. Kjersten Loy did not finish.
Rounding out the Bearcats' individuals are Ian Robbins, 44th, 17:26.50; Luke Schabel, 48th, 17:31.00; Landon Eaton, 66th, 17:51.80; Dominick Barrera, 75th, 17:59.00; and Thatcher Pettit, 84th, 18:05.10.
At state, the Aledo girls will compete at 10:45 a.m. on Nov. 2, followed by the boys at 11:25 a.m.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here