Emma Woodlee is looking more like herself again, while Shiloh White continues to find another gear.
The two WCHS runners led the way Wednesday in the Meet in the Middle event in Bell Buckle as Warren County turned in several encouraging performances in its final stretch of the regular season. Woodlee raced to sixth place in the girls 5K in 21:21, while White broke the 20-minute barrier with a 19:30 in a large boys field.
For coach Kelsea Turner, the performances throughout the WCHS lineup were signs that months of work are starting to pay off.
“I thought the team competed really well,” said Turner. “We saw a lot of positive things, especially the way our athletes competed and continued to fight throughout the race. We’re starting to see the work we’ve put in all season come together at the right time.”
Woodlee's sixth-place performance was another major step forward for the two-time state qualifier after dealing with setbacks this season. She returned at the Burnett Invitational and ran 23:28 before cutting more than two minutes from that time Tuesday.
Donelson Christian Academy's Taleigh Scurlock won the girls race in 20:00.
Elizabeth Meadows was the next Lady Pioneer across the line, taking 28th in 24:27. Gracee O'Neal finished 36th in 25:07, Caroline Douglas was 42nd in 25:43 and Aubrey Alford took 49th in 26:20.
Olivia Rhea completed the course in 26:46, Claire Randall ran 27:24, Marylou Margeson finished in 28:14 and Desi Cates crossed in 28:24. Savanna Douglas added a time of 30:57 and Adison Wittekind finished in 32:33.
White provided the biggest breakthrough on the boys side.
The freshman took 28th out of 157 finishers in 19:30, continuing a rapid drop in his times. White ran 20:48.77 at Woodland Park and 20:45.42 at the Burnett Invitational before cutting another 1:15 Tuesday.
Christain Hewitt finished in 20:32, while Zaydon Lovvorn also made a significant jump by crossing in 21:05. Lovvorn ran 24:10.76 at Burnett, meaning he dropped more than three minutes from his previous race.
Colton Sanders finished in 25:21 and Brantley Rigsby completed the course in 30:22.
Valor Collegiate Academy's Josiah Aman won the boys race in 16:58.
With Woodlee moving back toward the front, White breaking 20 minutes and other runners continuing to lower their times, Warren County will now spend the next couple of weeks preparing for the races that will determine how its season ends.
“Now, our focus shifts toward the postseason,” said Turner. “We’ll use the next couple of weeks to continue building, clean up some things we can improve on, and make sure we’re healthy and confident heading into our postseason meets. The goal is to put ourselves in the best position possible and finish the season strong.”
