Runners compete in Meet of Champions
The Hancock Country cross country teams competed in the Meet of Champions at Bourbon County Park in Paris, KY Friday.
HCHS coach Wes Meserve said that his runners placed well against some of the top competition in the state. Times were not as quick as usual due to the large number of hills.
Izzy Ross led the HCHS girls team in this prestigious event that hosted more than 1,000 runners throughout multiple divisions. Ross placed 37th overall in the varsity girls race with a time of 21 minutes, 43 seconds.
“Izzy ran a very strong race. Her time was almost a minute faster than what she ran at state last year on the same course,” the coach said. “She is very motivated and looking good as we head into the regional meet.”
Lexus Ralph was next for Hancock County as the senior placed 67th in 22:52. Carolina Jones was 112th in 24:34, Preslee Meserve was 143rd in 25:50, Jayda Meserve 155th in 26:39, Lyla DeJarnette 156th in 26:45 and Juliana Nevitt 160th in 26:58.
“Lexus ran a good race. She continues to struggle with pacing early… but I believe she has the ability to run with Izzy if she’s mentally focused,” the coach said.
Maddie Strong of Scott County won with a time of 18:55. Lexington Catholic won the team competition with 58 points. Hancock County placed 13th.
The HCHS varsity boys team did one better, placing 12th among 19 teams.
Hunter Stephens led the Hornets by placing 44th in a time of 18:56. Emmitt Meserve was 66th in 19:24, Noah Henson 86th in 19:43, Griffin DeJarnette 140th in 21:07, Damion Basham 158th in 21:38, Max DeJarnette 159th in 21:39 and Noah Wheatley 240th in 34:10.
“Hunter ran a very good time on this challenging course,” Meserve said. The coach added that Hunter, Emmitt and Noah should all place very well at regional.
Thomas Ashby of Apollo won in 16:20. St. Xavier gave a dominating performance to win the boys team title with 26 points.
Ellen Meserve placed 18th in the 3K championship race for girls 6th grade and under on Saturday. Ellen, a 5th grader, completed the course in 12:56. Alyson Goodall (fifth grade) was 122nd in 15:15.
“Ellen broke our 3K middle school record and looked very good,” the coach said. “She ran consistent and really pushed herself. Aly ran a 37 second personal best time.”
Esther Montgomery of Montgomery County won in 11:35.
Elias Meserve (second grade) placed 48th in the 2K championship for boys 4th grade and under. Elias’ time was 8:05. Beckham DeJarnette (first grade) was 147th in 8:56 and Michael Fulkerson (fourth grade) 187th in 9:25.
“Elias had a very strong kick during the final 200 meters, which earned him top 50 honors. He also broke the school record,” the coach noted.
Kingston Hudspeth of Liberty Elem. won in 7:11.
Oonagh DeJarnette (fourth grade) placed 55th in the same division for girls. Her time was 8:49.
“Oonagh could have placed better, but this is a much larger race than she’s ever been in. I think she went out too slow and got boxed in. This was a huge learning experience for her and for all our younger kids.”
Hadley McKee of Tully Elementary won in 7:29.
By Steve Wimmer
