What to Know About Every KHSAA Class 3A Region Meet in 2022

Josh Moore

Region 5

Site (host): Union (Ryle)

BOYS

The top challengers:

1. Tiger Bartlett. His PR 15:26.00 at the Nike XC Town Twilight Invitational was the fastest time of any Kentuckian there, and the fastest time by a Region 5 runner this fall. It came a couple weeks after he ran 15:30.40, his first sub-16 minute effort, at the Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational. He nearly made it three straight outings with a time below 16 minutes after winning the NKAC/St. Henry Invite with a 16:03.50 on Oct. 8, his last race.

2. Drew Moore. About a month after a fourth-place finish here, Moore ran his PR time (15:29.49) at the Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships. The Conner senior put up sub-16 minute marks over three consecutive meets this season, most recently Oct. 1 at the Saturday Night Lights (15:54.20). That was the fifth best time in the region this year.

3. George Johnson. Also a senior at Conner, Johnson too PR'd at the Garmin (15:39.47). He's competed three times this fall, his best time coming at the Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational (15:56.00).

Fast facts: This is the fastest region in Class 3A, and probably in Kentucky. Eight of the top 20 individual times in Class 3A this fall were put up by Region 5 boys. ... Will Sheets (Covington Catholic, 15:44.90), Lincoln Herald (Grant County, 15:51.10) and Joey Carroll (Conner, 15:53.00) all have in-season times that are faster than the best times this fall from the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds. ... Across the entire state, this boys' race is the only one for which seed times have been entered for every scheduled participant. Their counterparts on the girls' side were just two short of matching that distinction.

GIRLS

The top challengers:

1. Allison Kopser. The Ryle sophomore approached a sub-18 minute time for the first time at the Nike XC Town Twilight Invitational, where she finished third among all Kentuckians with a time of 18:09.40. She's already won this region twice before, doing it with a 18:55.13 to repeat last season.

2. Olivia Holbrook. She PR'd at the Saturday Night Lights earlier this month (18:14.20), besting her previous PR from earlier in the season by a full eight seconds; both times would qualify as the second fastest in the region this fall. The Campbell County sophomore won the region in 2019.

3. Audrey Shelton. The Grant County senior's top mark - an 18:29.66 to win the Double S Stampede on Sept. 17 - was her first sub-19 minute time. She did it again her last time out, running an 18:44.00 at the Haunted Woods Classic.

Fast facts: The next fastest time outside of the top three this season is a full minute slower. It belongs to Conner sophomore Isabella Gay, who ran 19:31.28 at the Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational. She's seeded fourth with that time and is the only other participant with a sub-20 minute seed.