By Linda Jones Wayne County Schools
CNHI
11-17-10 — The Wayne County High School Girls Cross Country Team made school
history on Saturday by advancing to the state competition.
"This is the first time in the school's history that we've had a
girl's team qualify for the state championships," said Wayne County
Cross Country Coach Kevin Jones. "We've had some individuals before,
but no team."
"Our girls performed exceptionally well and we are excited about
their success," added Jones.
Wayne County's six-member high school team competing at Class 2A
Region 5 included: Sadie Martin who finished sixth, Katie McFarland
finishing 21st, Rebecca Conn was 33rd, Sara Bertram was 38th, Jessica
Stephens was 42nd, and Casey Davis was 50th.
Sadie Martin received a medal in the individual category with her
time of 21:40.20.
Finishing in first place for the girls teams was Boyle County
reporting an average time of 21:35.32, followed in second place by
Rockcastle County with an average time of 22:36.05. Bell County took
third place with an average of 23:02.80, followed by Wayne County in
fourth place with an average of 23:42.13. The top four teams advanced
to the state competition set for Saturday, November 13 in Lexington
at the Kentucky Horse Park. They were followed by teams from East
Jessamine, Mercer County, West Jessamine, Knox Central, and Corbin.
Not only did the six-member girl's team make history, but it was
also the first time that Wayne County has had the opportunity to host
a cross country regional championship. Saturday's event drew a large
crowd with 31 different schools showing up for the races. The huge
athletic event was held locally at Cave Lake Event Park, where
students from throughout Region 5 were privileged to run on a variety
of terrains. The scenic 5K course features flat grass fields, a path
running up a huge hill, winding through the woods, and along a man-
made lake before reaching the finish line.
"The course is a wonderful place for our athletes to run and we
certainly appreciate the generosity of land owner Nick Cooley, who
shares this course with us," said Coach Jones. "It is a top notch
course that our students are reaping the benefits from when we get to
compete here."
Wayne County's Boys Team top finisher was Trevor Shearer who
finished 16th and has advanced to state previously, but has had
issues with a hip injury recently. He was followed by Andrew Dobbs
who was 25th, Drew Bell was 33rd, Clayton Cooper was 37th, Dillan
Penney was 38th, Jans Alvik Ibisate was 42nd, and Josh Anderson was
62nd.
"With the exception of Trevor Shearer, all the rest of our boys ran
their fastest personal best," noted Coach Jones.
Boyle County also won the first place team award for the boys 5K run
in Class 2A with an average time of 18:30.78. They were followed
closely by West Jessamine, Rockcastle County, Knox Central, and Bell
County. Wayne County placed sixth as a team with an average time of
19:24.20. Mercer County was seventh, East Jessamine was eighth,
Garrard County finished ninth, and Casey County was tenth.
"Both of our squads are fairly young, so we will be looking for good
things in the future of our program," concluded Coach Jones.