In a tightly contested race, the Owensboro Catholic Lady Aces finished second at the 1A Cross Country State Championship, just five points back of first place Beechwood.
Leading the way for the Lady Aces was junior Peyton Reid, finishing sixth overall and running a 20:10.96. Charlie Reid (12th, 20:33.97), Caroline Wathen (14th, 20:47.62), Ainsley Sutter (18th, 21:05.00), and Ashlie Hayden (22nd, 21:14.36) rounded out the team’s top five times.
“I’m incredibly proud of these girls and how they fought today,” Owensboro Catholic girls’ Head Coach Jacob Reid said. “They’ve continued to improve throughout the season, making this a much closer race than what was expected. It’s been a great season for these girls, and they finished it off in a big way.”
On the boys’ side, the Aces finished 14th, with junior Owen Brey (27th, 17:44.62) recording the team’s top time. He was followed by Simon Thompson (52nd, 18:30.40), John Wathen (65th, 18:56.94), Ben Booker (117th, 19:52.86), and Luke Pfeifer (182nd, 20:52.26).
For Hancock County, the boys team finished 18th, with Emmitt Meserve (17th, 17:25.24), Noah Henson (112th, 19:47.91), Hunter Stephens (145th, 20:12.72), Ethan Heavrin (160th, 20:29.16), and Max DeJarnette (161st, 20:29.57) leading the way.
On the girls’ side, the Lady Hornets finished 21st, with Isabella Ross (92nd, 23:57.93), Elizabeth Seaton (104th, 24:29.07), Lyla DeJarnette (156th, 26:02.45), Alyson Goodall (157th, 26:03.14), and Elizabeth Harlan (190th, 27:39.50) rounding out the team’s top five times.
“Overall, I was very happy with our seasons,” Hancock County Head Coach Wes Meserve said. “The girls made their 30th consecutive appearance at state, and our boys qualified for the first time since 2019. We didn’t even know if we would have full teams for the boys and girls at the beginning of the season, so to have both qualify was really a big achievement. We had two girls out at state because of injuries, so we were not at our full strength, but it was a good learning experience for our young girls.”
Class 3A
Fresh off winning region last week, Apollo’s boys team finished sixth at the Class 3A state meet, with Noah Gray (11th, 15:58.41) leading the way. Asher Alvey (22nd, 16:30.50) had the second fastest time for the Eagles and was followed by Axton Alvey (39th, 16:53.39), Eli Currington (81st, 17:31.02), and Willi Guadarrama (109th, 17:54.29).
“I’m beyond proud of the way our team competed today,” Apollo boys Head Coach Daniel Southard said. “Coming home with a 6th-place finish is quite an accomplishment. State can be overwhelming, which is why I was so proud of how calm they were throughout the week and leading up to this morning. That poise carried over into each of their races.”
The E-Gals placed 20th, with Addy Alvey (34th, 20:08.45), Stella Clark (110th, 21:26.53), Lola Falloway (131st, 21:50.39), Avery Boarman (144th, 22:05.01), and Ava Falloway (173rd, 22:33.05) rounded out the top five times.
“I’m really pleased with how the girls raced today and how they ended their season as a whole,” Apollo girls’ Head Coach Charlie Shoulta said. “I was incredibly happy that our three seniors got to wrap up their high school xc career with a trip to the State Championship, and also super pleased that our younger girls gained some invaluable experience on the state meet course.”
For Daviess County, the Lady Panthers finished ninth, and the Panthers were 14th. Makenzie Ross (38th, 20:10.56) had the top time for the girls’ team and was followed by Haley Wolfe (41st, 20:13.63), Kloee Gaynor (55th, 20:31.30), Bentlei Stallings (72nd, 20:49.93), and Anna King (84th, 21:02.38).
“The girls did a great job,” Daviess County girls’ Head Coach Les Orlow said. “Haley, Makenzie, Kloee, Bentlei, Anna, and Rylee all worked together, passing a lot of the competition after the first mile.”
The Panthers top five times consisted of Judson Redfern (76th, 17:26.85), Austin Spurrier (77th, 17:27.20), Camryn Edge (103rd, 17:48.77), Joseph Edge (114th, 17:56.93), and Jordan Norris (118th, 17:58.26).
“The boys ran pretty well,” Daviess County boys’ Head Coach James Loi said. “The goal was to do better than they did last year, which they did. I know they tied the same place as last year, but our pack times were better. Overall, this season was wonderful as my first year coaching cross country as the head coach. We will be back stronger and better since we are only graduating one senior.”
Isrell Roberts represented the Owensboro Red Devils, finishing 137th with a time of 18:10.75.
“I couldn’t be prouder of Isrell and the way he represented our program,” Owensboro boys Head Coach Griffin Kelley said. “This was his first time racing at the Kentucky Horse Park, and he ran with a ton of grit on one of the toughest courses in the state. More than anything, I’m proud of how he carried himself. I know he wanted to have his teammates on the line with him, but he earned his spot and represented our program with pride.”
Kiley Palmer was the lone runner for the Lady Devils, placing 228th with a time of 24:09.22.
