Photos courtesy of Coach Woodside
The Hillsboro girls cross country team got out of the gate Friday with its first competition of the season. Both varsity and JV ran in the TRXC Timing ABC Invitational held at McNair Park in St. Charles.
In the varsity race, sophomore Anna Crosby got her season off to a good start, taking ninth place in the 4K race. Her time of 16:47.03 made her the second sophomore to cross the finish line. She said she was happy with her results. “I feel it was a good start to my season,” she noted. “I felt strong through most of my race, and it helped show me some things I can improve on for the next races. Overall, I think it went well for me, and I am excited to finally be racing again.”
Michelle Jones was the next Hawk to cross the finish line, taking 19th place honors. Her time of 17:26.13 made her the eleventh junior to finish. Right behind her was Bri Langrehr taking 22nd place. She was the fifth senior to finish, clocking in at 17:43.92. The final two members of the varsity lineup, Sophia Horrell and Abby Couch also competed well. Horrell finished in 49th place with a time of 20:47.37, the seventh sophomore to finish; and Couch took 57th, clocking in at 24:16.48, the 15th senior to finish.
Overall, the Hawks scored 144 points, good for fifth place behind Rock Bridge (36), Fort Zumwalt West (74), Liberty (Wentzville) (81), and Farmington (92).
On the JV side, sophomore Riley Kruse got her season off in fine fashion, taking 20th in her 3K race. She clocked in at 14:19.72, and she was the fifth sophomore to finish. She, too, was happy with her first race of the season. “I think my race today went good,” she said after the competition. “It was very different with having to wear masks everywhere, and only racing against three teams at a time. But in the end, I am happy with my results, and I am excited to see what the rest of the season holds.”
The Hawks had three other runners in the race, so they didn’t qualify for the team standings. But junior Christi Davidson placed 51st with a time of 16:15.50; Lexi Wallis, a sophomore ran a 17:02.83, good for 66th; and junior Mia Phillips took 91st, crossing the finish line in 19:15.41.
The Hillsboro girls will compete again at the Fleet Feet Classic, scheduled for Tuesday. Because of social distancing guidelines, the race “will feature wave starts, with groups of no more than 50 starting every four minutes, with each wave containing athletes from only two schools,” according to the Fleet Feet website. The girls waves begin at 5 p.m.
