Competing without full strength squads, both boys’ and girls’ Patrick County High School cross country teams took second place last week at the Tunstall Invitational.
The Cougars dominated up front, taking both individual race titles. Juan Cisneros won the 122-competitor boys’ race by a comfortable 21 second margin. Monroe Morse cracked the top 10 for the third time this season, placing eighth. Burke Gonzalez and Jared Biedrycki were 13th and 14th respectively, and Bailey Holt rounded out the scorers, placing 26th.
On the girls’ side, Macie Rogers ran away from the field of 79 girls and won by 19 seconds. Armonte Carter ran strong to place third—her highest finish ever in a cross country race. Arielle Taylor finished 13th, followed closely by Hannah Roberson in 14th. Lindsey Marshall was the fifth Cougar across the line in 23rd place.
“Our runners are in the middle of a hard training phase,” said Coach Danel Slaydon. “We are still going full throttle in the weight room, and are not backing off the day before a race. This will change as we get into the championship section of our season, but for now, it is what we need to do to build strength and maximize our training. Our kids have been handling it very well, and we continue to be proud of their efforts every week,” Slaydon said.
