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Area teams thrive at state cross-country meet - Oconee Enterprise
The 2021 cross-country season ended last weekend with several runners from Oconee County placing high among the state’s best runners.
Georgia High School Association’s state cross-country meet was held in Carrollton last Saturday. The schools in Oconee County were well-represented among the field.
In Class AAA, Oconee County High School’s girls team earned a third place finish in the state. The Lady Warriors combined for an average time of 21:53 and earned 96 points.
Lady Warriors senior Sydney Matthews finished 11th in the state, leading Oconee County’s effort. Matthews ran the 5K in 21:17.29.
Fellow senior Kensley McConnell was close behind in 13th. McConnell completed the race in 21:33.69.
Oconee County junior Molly Meeks placed 19th in the field, running the event in 21:59.72.
Sophomores Ellen Patterson (22:17.90) and Mary Matthews (22:18.62) finished 26th and 27th, respectively.
Juniors Emma Champer (34th, 22:36.93) and Leah John (37th, 22:49.16) rounded out the Lady Warriors’ state competitors.
The Oconee County boys team finished fourth in Class AAA, notching 160 points and completing the event with an average time of 18:20.
Warriors senior Scott Seuser placed 12th in the event with a time of 17:33.00.
Sophomore Cooper Timberman ran to a 16th place result in 17:39.26.
Griffin Roberds, a senior, completed the race in 18:30.56 to finish 35th. Fellow senior Wells Pee was right behind, running 36th in 18:31.37.
Oconee County freshman Champ Blose used a time of 19:30.39 to place 77th. Andrew Knapp, a junior, finished 79th in 19:33.13.
Athens Academy’s boys team finished fourth in Class A-Private. The Spartans totaled 163 points and averaged an overall time of 18:20 for the event.
Spartans junior Jackson Scruggs led the Spartans’ effort. Scruggs finished fourth in the 201-person field, running a time of 16:55.37.
Will DeLoach, a sophomore, finished 30th with a time of 18:21.08.
Athens Academy junior Thomas Meyer came in 42nd, clocking in at 18:45.40. Spartans sophomore Walter Hequembourg ran the event in 19:48.59, placing 44th.
Robbie Dillon, a junior at Athens Academy, placed 47th in 18:52.65. Fellow junior Will Wieczorek completed the race in 20:26.62, good for 115th. Sophomore Tom Hollingsworth finished in 158th with a time of 21:46.44.
The Athens Academy girls team finished fifth in Class A-Private. The Lady Spartans scored 167 points and averaged a total time of 22:30.
Athens Academy junior Sarah Harrison was the top finisher for the Lady Spartans. Harrison ran the event in 21:03.48, earning 12th place in the 193-runner field.
Lady Spartans freshman Molly Smith finished the race in 22:31.34, good for 31st.
Amy Tran, a junior, finished 39th with a time of 22:41.11.
Senior Nathalie Lavender placed 42nd in 22:49.78. Fellow senior Davis McLanahan finished 61st with a time of 23:24.69. Emily Coggins, also a senior, ran 98th in 24:34.46.
Athens Academy junior Louise Tillman finished in 25:08.91, finishing 111th.
Prince Avenue Christian School’s girls team also sent representatives to the Class A-Private competition.
The Lady Wolverines finished seventh as a team, their highest result in program history. They had 272 points and averaged 23:23 for the event.
Lady Wolverines freshman Ashlyn Smith led the team’s effort with a 35th place finish. Smith ran the event in 22:38.96.
Juniors Brittan McGinn (54th, 23:13.83), Sallie Simpkins (58th, 23:21.82) and Kaitlyn Ward (67th, 23:38.63) also ran in the state race.
Prince Avenue Christian freshman Kinsley Bowen finished 82nd with a time of 24:04.71.
Abby Fisher, a junior, placed 151st in 26:28.65.
Lady Wolverines sophomore Ella Baldwin was 177th with a time of 28:10.75
North Oconee High School’s girls team competed in the Class AAAA event. The Lady Titans finished 10th, averaging a time of 23:52 and recording 274 points.
Lady Titans senior Liv Bledsoe finished 39th to lead her teammates. Bledsoe finished the event in 23:06.25.
Fellow senior Hannah Marlowe was 42nd, running the event in 23:09.97.
Melissa Fisher, a sophomore, completed the race in 24:02.65 to finish 59th.
Freshmen Isabelle Currie (61st, 24:06.20), Gabriella Card (79th, 24:56.92) and Naomi Bledsoe (24:59.84) also competed in the event.
Kyla Scott, a junior, placed 91st in 25:22.66.
Athens Academy
Athens Academy is an independent, co-educational school for students in K3 through 12th grade, located on a beautiful 152-acre campus in Northeast Georgia. For over 50 years, Athens Academy has pursued its mission of Excellence with Honor through academics, athletics, fine arts, and service and leadership.
