PENDLETON — After a team meeting and a few anxious moments, Pendleton Heights got back on the winning track and just at the right time.
The Arabians pulled together and claimed their own girls cross country sectional title Tuesday by grouping three runners in the top 10 and four in the top 15. PH scored 56 team points to 63 for Mount Vernon. Shenandoah was third, Yorktown fourth and Anderson fifth. The top five teams move on to the Delta Regional to be held at Muncie’s Water Bowl on Saturday.
“I thought we did a great job,” said Pendleton Heights coach Melissa Hagerman. “We weren’t satisfied with how we ran at (Classic Athletic) Conference. We ran there as individuals. We had some team bonding this week and today we ran as a group.”
Mur Hagerman was the top PH finisher as she collected a fourth in 21:38. She was followed by Leslie Hershberger in fifth and freshman Emma Manchess in ninth. Lauren Robertson was 15th and Anna Dudley was 23rd, both are also freshmen. Kristina Reed was 29th and Autumn Brown 30th.
Hagerman now can start looking at the regional with some confidence. “Delta and Yorktown have beaten us, but we’ve been right there on their heels,” she said. “Now I think we’ll have the confidence to be able to beat them. We’re right there. It’s frustrating as a coach to know they are right there and for them not to believe it.”
Yorktown sophomore Alexis Hunt was the individual champion with a time of 19:56. That was 49 seconds better than Lapel junior Leah Steele, who finished second. Shenandoah’s Jasmine Stephens was third, 28 ticks behind Steele.
“I’m really pleased with how I ran,” said Steele. “Lately I’ve been so down on myself thinking I should be running faster. But today I was very relaxed and I felt great.”
She knew the battle would be tough against Hunt. “I knew about Lexi and my plan was to stay with her the first couple of miles. But at the mile marker I heard her coach tell her to turn it on the next half-mile. I wasn’t expecting that.”
Now she will shift focus to Saturday. “I was already thinking about Saturday,” said Steele. “I love that course. It’s so pretty there and the atmosphere is great because the people are so close. I’d love for my team to make it with me.” But the Bulldogs finished sixth 51 points from qualifying.
The top 15 individuals also make the regional. That included Highland’s Haylei Bannister (6) and Brooke Sigler (15).
After Stephens’ third-place finish, Emily Vetor was 11th and LeAra DeBruhl was 17th for the Raiders. The Indians were led by Chloe Miller, who finished 10th, Victoria Kennedy (18) and Melissa Stephanic (20).
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Pendleton girls win cross country sectional
Arabian runners are back on track
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