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Warren County's girls cross country team continues to show it can compete near the front.
The Lady Pioneers returned to action Thursday at the Crossville Invitational and took second with 56 points. Oakland won the meet with 18 points, while Warren County narrowly edged Stone Memorial, which finished third with 59.
Cumberland County senior Caylin Hale was the individual champion, completing the 5K course in 21:10.
It was the first competition for WCHS since racing at the Coffee County Invitational last Monday. Warren County had been scheduled to compete again three days later at Big Soddy Gulf, but that meet was canceled because of the heat.
Thursday brought a different challenge as the Lady Pioneers tackled a course featuring more hills than they had encountered earlier this season.
“Absolutely - It was a tough course with more inclines than we’ve seen so far this season,” said coach Kelsea Turner when asked if she was pleased with the runner-up finish. “The girls did a great job competing through the hills and running their way to a second-place finish. We’re proud of their effort and excited to keep building as the season continues.”
Elizabeth Meadows led Warren County with a fifth-place finish, completing the course in 25:17. Freshman Gracee O'Neal gave the Lady Pioneers another top-10 finisher, taking 10th in 26:39.
Warren County's depth helped secure second place. Caroline Douglas finished 15th in 27:43, Claire Randall took 18th in 28:35 and Aubrey Alford followed in 19th at 28:37. Olivia Rhea gave the Lady Pioneers six runners in the top 20, finishing 20th in 28:52.
Desi Cates added a 23rd-place finish in 29:53. Kensington Chapman completed the course in 34:38, Savanna Douglas finished in 34:54 and Adison Wittekind crossed the line in 36:57.
The runner-up finish added another strong team performance to Warren County's early-season résumé. The Lady Pioneers won the team championship in their opener at Community and two-time state qualifier Emma Woodlee captured the individual championship at Coffee County last Monday.
Woodlee was in Crossville and was in line for another top finish before she had to withdraw from the race.
“She was running a good pace in the top two. She was about half way through the race but had a minor setback that prevented her from finishing the race. We think she will be good for next week,” said coach Turner.
Even without Woodlee ultimately crossing the finish line, Warren County put five scoring runners inside the top 20 - a good sign for things to come for the team.
Pioneers take third
The Warren County boys made it a pair of podium finishes for WCHS, taking third place Thursday with 75 points.
Cumberland County won the boys team championship with 25 points, while Oakland was second with 38 and Warren County finished third.
Cumberland County junior Riley Cox was the individual champion, winning the 5,000-meter race in 18:08.
Freshman Shiloh White led Warren County, finishing 12th in 21:10. Junior Christain Hewitt was right behind him, taking 13th in 21:39 to give the Pioneers two runners near the front of the field.
Lucas Rhea finished 22nd in 23:32 and Zaydon Lovvorn took 25th in 23:41. Colton Sanders was 36th in 27:44 and Brantley Rigsby finished 38th in 32:01.
The Pioneers' performance completed a strong day for Warren County in Crossville, with both WCHS teams leaving the meet with top-three finishes.
