Springstead Girls Cross Country got rained out last Friday; Coach Graham elected to race this weekend in an unplanned district preview. With seven harriers towing the varsity line the Eagles did very well. Five freshman and two junior returners ran on this humid morning.
"I have to commend my juniors Alyssa Hoyt and Kylee Redmond for leading our girls out in what was the first 5K many of our girl's very first 5k's. They ran exactly the pace I prescribed and did very well. A lot of this first month of racing will be simply learning how to race a distance that many are foreign to," said Graham.
Lainee, the freshman with experience, did wonderful crossing the line at 18:57 in the second fastest time in school history. Graham spoke confidently about her success. "Lainee is such a hard worker, and those in the running community know her very well. She has a huge impact on our team both in work ethic and also is just a great person as well. She ran a smart race today. We discussed paces beforehand, and she executed the race really perfectly. I look forward to seeing her grow and improve throughout the season."
The JV team was led by individual medalist Olivia Allen. Olivia, who had the fastest girls 1600 time during the track season last year, decided to join cross country this season, in hopes of improving her track performances. "Olivia was a nice surprise today in her first 5K. We knew she was capable of being an important piece of our varsity puzzle by the end of the season, so this early season success is a nice warm up for what is to come from her."
The Eagles next race will be next Saturday, September 7th at the Horsepark Invitational in Ocala.
Varsity Girls (130 Racers)
3rd - Lainee Mercer - 18:57
54rd - Kylee Redmond - 24:12
55th - Aliya Rosario - 24:16
65th - Alondra Jimenez Capo - 25:15
69th - Aliyah Jackson - 25:46
72nd - Alyssa Hoyt - 26:02
77th - Evony Osorio - 26:20
Varsity Team Scores
1. Vanguard 45
2. East Ridge 56
3. Tavares 87
4. Wiregrass Ranch 135
5. Sunlake 135
6. River Ridge 196
7. Lecanto 198
8. Springstead 215
9. St. John Lutheran 228
10. Gulf 291
JV Girls
4th - Olivia Allen - 24:20
46th - Vanessa Bandini - 31:27
66th - Mollie Surak - 35:21
79th - Erin Laughlin - 40:26
Team Results - NTS (JV)
