Kentucky Shows Well at the CCCNYC

 Numerous Kentucky athletes participated in the Cross Country Coaches National Youth Championships held Saturday, November 20^th at Masterson Station Park.  Competing against many of the best teams and individuals in the United States, Kentucky kids fared quite well on a beautiful Saturday.  As has been the case the past few years, the Brocaw Blazers, a large club that brought more than 170 runners from several states, dominated several races in the meet. 

It was a little chilly at 9 am for the first race of the day, the 15-16 girls.  Kids from Derby City and Runawayz joined forces with Team Kentucky to take on the Brocaw juggernaut in the race.  In what turned out to be a tactical error for team scoring, the first girl across the line for Team Kentucky was Hancock County Junior Drema Johnson, running a PR of 20:07 on the hilly course.   Due to a sore ankle, Drema wasn’t even sure she was going to run during the warmup for the race, but thought she’d give it a shot.  Sara Sargent of Philadelphia CYO won the race in a blazing fast 18:08.  Scorers for Team Kentucky were Walton-Verona’s Madison Peace (20:17), Amy Hansan (20:45), Bell County’s Kelly Brown (20:56), Fairview’s Brooklyn Bowen (21:15), and Male’s Lauren Bennett (21:19).  Fortunately, or unfortunately, however you want to view it, Team Kentucky’s place would not have changed if Johnson’s 19^th place finish counted, as Brocaw took first and third and Jenks America took 2^nd in the team battle.

Brocaw also dominated the 15-16 boys race, taking 6 of the top 10 spots, with Jenks America in 2^nd once again.  But the real battle in this race was for 3^rd place between Derby City and Runawayz.   Derby City, led by Oldham County Junior Luke Weishar was solidly ahead at the halfway point in the race, but Runawayz, led by Chase Geary of Muhlenberg County, made up a lot of ground and took the team podium spot in the last mile.  Weishar’s 16:15 was good for 4^th place, while Geary finished 6^th in 16:34.  Zac Garrard of Owensboro finished 17^th, just ahead of Daniel Southard of Daviess County, both clocking 17:09.  The fourth and fifth men for Runawayz were Jeff Keeley of Owensboro in 28^th in 17:42, and Daviess County’s Nelson Dant 29th in 17:44.  Also running for Derby City were Butler Freshman Patrick Gregory, who finished 12^th, in 16:52, with Eastern’s Holden Wells in 13^th in a time of  17:03, Forest Dearing of Walden in 17:47, and Braxton Hall of Oldham County in 18:35.   Sye Head of Logan County, running for Team Kentucky, finished 15^th, with a time of 17:07. 

Those watching the 17-18 girls saw an incredible performance by Samantha Nightingale of Blue Springs, Missouri, running for Brocaw, who toured the hilly Masterson Station course in 17:30.   The week before, Nightingale finished second at the NXN Midwest Regional in a time of 17:51 on the tough Lavern Gibson Course, and is ranked 17^th nationally by Milesplit.   Brocaw once again dominated the race, taking first and second place in the team standings.  The Team Kentucky seniors, led by Amanda Hancock in 7^th, with a time of 18:51, finished third.  Also scoring for Team Kentucky were South Oldham’s Hannah Ellis (19:42) and Jessie Murner (19:48) finishing 12^th and 13^th, followed by Muhlenberg County’s Hooper twins in in 14^th and 16^th, with times of 19:57 and 20:19.

Sean Hurd led the Team Kentucky Seniors to a third place finish in the 17-18 boys race, by finishing third in a time of 15:52.  He was followed by Zac Holtkamp of Bishop Brossart in 5^th (16:00), Jon Renneker of Ashland Blazer 9^th (16:22), South Oldham’s Austin Pfeifer in 17^th (16:40), and Alex White of George Rogers Clark in 19^th with a time of 16:48.  Team Kentucky was a close third in the race behind two teams from Brocaw. 

Next up was the girls age 4-8 2000 meter race.  Seven year old Jett Bradley led Derby City was the first girl from Kentucky across the line, finishing 8^th in a time of 8:48.  Derby City garnered 4^th place as a team, with Madeline Powell in 24^th, Ellie Poole in 27^th, Chloe Bramble in 35^th, and Ryle Kirschenbaum in 37^th.  Abby Jones, running for Team Kentucky, finished 9^th, in a time of 8:50.

Riggs Hardy, 8, finished 3^rd in the boys race in a time of 8:01.  Jason King of Kentucky Stampede finished 6^th in 8:04, and Zavion Jackson of Team Kentucky finished 15^th in 8:27.  Hammer Athletics finished 4^th as a team, led by Thor Newsome in 16^th place.

Presley Warren of Henderson Holy Name, running for Runawayz, was the first Kentucky girl to finish in the 9-10 girls race, in a time of 12:48. Gomah Nodler finished 16^th for Kentucky Stampede, breaking the 13 minute mark in 12:59, followed by Avery Fryman of Derby City in 17^th, and Taylor Limprevil of Kentucky Stampede in 18^th.  Derby City finished 4^th out of 11 teams to compete in the race, and Runawayz was 7^th. 

Derby City finished strong in the boys 9-10 race, taking 2^nd as a team.  They were led by Matthew Craven in 9^th (12:12).  Garrett Watts of Team Kentucky finished 13^th in a time of 12:16.  Gabriel Michalak (12:16) and Keeton Thornsberry (12:22) of Derby City finished 15^th and 16^th. 

The 11-12 girls race is usually one of the most hotly contested races at the meet, and this year was no exception.   Philadelphia CYO took the team title, by a slim 4 points over Derby City, and both in front of a loaded group from Team Kentucky.  Gabby Karas of Derby City finished 2^nd in the race in a super fast 11:19.  After running side-by-side wit Karas through the first mile, Highland’s Lauren Ossege, running for Team Kentucky, finished 5^th in a time of 11:32.  Michaela Reinhart of Derby City placed 9^th in a time of 11:49, and Erin Edmundson, running for Kentucky Stampede, finished 11^th, just under 12 minutes in 11:57.  Meghan Carrico, (15^th), Madison Spencer (18^th), and Megan Buechler (19^th) also scored for Derby City.   Madisyn Peeples, Sydney Ossege, and Olivia Nienaber finished 21, 22, and 23^rd for Team Kentucky, followed by Fairview’s Lyndsey Burke in 27^th.  Greenwood’s Brittney Hansen of Runawayz finished 25^th in a time of 12:13. 

Derby City nailed down the boys 11-12 title led by Trenton Fryman in 2^nd in a time of 10:49.  Spencer Hayden was close behind, in 7^th place with a time of 11:12.  Michael Sheets gave Derby City 3 runners in the top 11 with his time of 11:18.  Elliott Wells of Runawayz finished 13^th in 11:19. Close behind him was Logan Otter of Kentucky Stampede in 15^th place (11:24).  Joshua Grogan in 16^th (11:25)  and Nathan Sheets (11:44)  in 36^th rounded out the scoring for Derby City.

Brocaw won the 13-14 girls race, led by multiple national champion Rebekah Topham with a new course record of 14:33.51.  Runawayz took second among 14 teams, with a tight pack led by Amelia Reynolds of Daviess County in 13^th (15:54).  She was followed by Bowling Green’s Sarah-Emily Woodward in 15^th (15:56), Owensboro Catholic’s Oliva Cason in 16^th (15:58), Evansville, Indiana Memorial’s Taylor Warren in 20^th(16:08) and Owensboro’s Rachel Keeley in 31^st (16:22).    Running for Team Kentucky, Fairview’s Haley Layne (16:05) and Katie Richard (16:13) finished 18^th and 26^th, respectively.  

Although Team Kentucky assembled a very strong team for the 13-14 boys race, Brocaw continued it dominance of the older age groups, winning easily with five of its runners in the top 10.  Jenks America finished second, and Team Kentucky third, led by Cooper’s Brady Baker’s 9^th place finish (13:43).  Bishop Brossart’s Michael Caldwell finished 12^th in 13:53, followed in 16^th place by Lincoln County’s Brian Carlson in 14:03 and Highland’s John Griffith in 14:08.  Tanner Dowdy’s 14:21 24^th place finish led Kentucky Stampede to an 8^th place finish in the team standings, and Grant Carpenter’s 14:35 34^th place finish helped to carry Runawayz to 7^th overall.