Highland Lakes cross-country squad earns an association team title

 Along with Montoya, the Midget girls’ squad won the team championship while Delaney Maberry earned individual gold in the Youth girls’ division. About 20 area youth cross-country runners are advancing to the Region 12 championship Nov. 22 in Cameron. 

MISSION — With the Rio Grande River weaving its way to the Gulf Coast as a backdrop, the Highland Lakes Track Club’s midget girls’ cross-country team won the South Texas association’s title this past weekend.

“It was pretty impressive because for most of them it was the first time they had competed,” coach Steve McCannon said. 

The meet is the first step towards competing in the USA Track and Field National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championship Dec. 13 in Mechanicsville, Va.

McCannon took 13 athletes to the USATF South Texas Association Championship. While the midget girls (born 1996-1997) earned the team title, they weren’t the only Highland Lakes Track Club members who ran impressive races.

Delaney Maberry earned the youth girls’ (born 1994-1995) individual title after running the 4,000-meter course in 17 minutes and 20 seconds. 

And Jonathan Montoya earned first in the sub-Bantam boys’ (born 2000-2001) individual title by running the 3,000-meter course in 13:51. This was a bit longer than Montoya had planned on running. The sub-Bantam course is usually only 2,000 meters but the meet officials didn’t mark a course for that length.

McCannon said this forced Montoya to compete in the same race with the older Bantam boys on their course. Despite the longer course and older competition, Montoya finished fourth in the Bantam race overall earning him first in the sub-Bantam competition.

At the Bantam (born 1998-1999) level, Sophie McCannon finished second in the girls’ 3,000-meter course in a time of 12:34. Blakley Schwope finished in fifth place in a time of 17 minutes and 25 seconds with teammate Summer Montoya just behind her in sixth place in 17:40.

The team champion midget girls were led by Jenna Hough who finished the 3,000-meter course in 14:10 for fourth place individually. Behind her were Rachel Ornsby (fifth), Taylor Brackenridge (seventh), Cheyenne Daniel (eighth), Brianna Cruz (10th), Cene Dalton (11th), Callie Levine (12th) and AnneClaire McCannon (13th).

McCannon said the girls really came to understand the team concept of cross-country running when they saw the final results. Some at first wondered whether there was any point to competing if they couldn’t place first or close to that.

“They sometimes think if I can’t be No. 1 then why bother,” McCannon said. “But they learned that every place matters and every runner matters. In team cross country, it’s important how every runner finishes.”

The next qualifying round is the USATF Region 12 Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships in Cameron.

“The first level (South Texas association) is a bit easier,” McCannon said. “But when you get to the regional meet, you have teams from Houston and Dallas there. And that’s where the ball game changes. They always bring strong teams.”

The top three teams and top 20 individuals from the regional meet advance to the national meet. Last year, 18 members of the Highland Lakes Track Club advanced to the junior Olympic cross-country championships including the entire midget girls’ and bantam girls’ teams. Kourtney Aylor of Burnet made qualified for the young women’s division where she eventually finished 56th out of 82 competitors.

McCannon said there are several runners who have a good chance to make it through regionals and to the national meet.

“One of the things we as a club have done is establish a standard qualifying time for our kids,” McCannon said. “If they don’t reach that time, even if they qualify at the regional meet, then they won’t be able to go to the national meet.”

By establishing a qualifying time, it gives the runners a goal to work toward.

“If they know they can beat that time, then they know they have a pretty good shot at making the national meet,” McCannon said. “So it gives them something to work toward.”

Currently the team has four runners who have met their division’s qualifying time. McCannon said there are several more who are right within the cusp of reaching their needed standard.

“We still have several weeks to lower our times, so I think we can get several more kids below our qualifying time standards,” he said. “That way if they make it through the regional meet, than it’s on to the national championship.”

daniel@thepicayune.com

Photo by Daniel Clifton