McCay leads WCMS in run at Coffee County
Photos provided - It was a packed field Monday when the WCMS cross country team took part in a meet in Manchester.
WCMS cross country runners battled another hot afternoon and a deep field Monday at the Coffee County Invitational in Manchester.
Seventh-grader Alyssa McCay led the way for the Lady Pioneers, racing to an eighth-place finish in the two-mile girls race with a time of 18:31. She was one of three WCMS runners to finish inside the top 13.
Ella Aycock took 12th in 19:56, while Claire Jenkins followed in 13th at 20:06. Chloe Childress finished 22nd in 21:31 and Stella Graham was 38th in 28:04.
The Pioneer boys also put together a strong pack near the front.
Jonah Gutierrez was the first WCMS runner across the finish line, taking 14th in 14:17. Benjamin Banaszak followed in 16th at 14:37 and Hudson Heatherly gave the Pioneers three runners inside the top 20, placing 19th in 14:49.
Lukas Stephens finished 26th in 15:20 and Zander Hillis was right behind him, taking 27th in 15:21. John Kelly Simmons placed 31st in 15:51 and Ryder Childress was 38th in 16:19. Milan Fuentes finished in 18:29 and Brantley Wilkey completed the course in 27:50.
Coach James Clark, who signed on right before the year and has hit the ground running - much like his team, was pleased with the effort Monday and the work his runners have put in to prepare for the heart of the season.
“I appreciate the effort our runners have given at practice,” said Clark. “I don't think we had a single practice in August where the temperature was below 90 degrees. That makes it tough, but our kids were out there working to improve. Most of our runners have set goals and are very focused on reaching those goals. I look forward to a strong push as we enter the heart of our season.”
Getting opportunities to race has been one of the early challenges for WCMS. The team's opening meet at Sewanee was affected by an improperly marked course that resulted in runners taking wrong turns, while a scheduled race in Cookeville was canceled because of the heat.
WCMS was able to race at home against Boyd Christian School last week and is working to schedule another home meet later this month. The Pioneers and Lady Pioneers also have three road meets remaining as Clark looks to give his runners more chances to chase the goals they've set for the season.
