Local cross country teams make great strides at Lower State qualifier
If last weekend’s Class AAA Lower State Cross Country qualifier is any indication, the Bishop England boys’ team appears to be the front-runner for the 2018 state championship, which will be contested at the Sandhills course in Columbia.
The Bishops won the Lower State with 30 points, while May River and Waccamaw tied for second with 61 points a piece. Last year, the same teams finished 1-2-3 at the state, but in a different order. Waccamaw was first, BE second and May River third.
Senior Sam Boykin will run his final race Saturday and he’s hoping for a repeat performance of last year’s individual effort. He won the gold medal by covering the 5-kilometer course in 16:36.
Last week, he finished first in 16:47.30 as the Bishops claimed four of the top five places.
Logan Desciak was third, Aidan Richter claimed fourth and Colin Costello was fifth. Daniel Infante was 17th.
Hanahan’s Jack Dantzler finished 11th.
In the girls’ race, Waccamaw won with 47 points while May River was second with 72 and Hanahan third with 106. Bishop England finished in sixth place with 143 points.
Bishop England sophomore Mary Wallace Rainero had the best finish with an eight-place time of 21:25.48. Bishop freshman Annika Deveau was right behind in ninth place. Kylie Futrell had Hanahan’s best finish, claiming 10th place in JR Hanahan 21:46.38 10. Hanahan sophomore Hanna Johnson was 11th in 21:49.97
The Hawk’s Hannah Chelton was 14th and the Bishops’ Patricia George was 15th. The Hawks’ Autumn Bladen also placed in the top 20.
In the Class AA-A Lower State qualifier at Columbia, Noah Ward claimed first place with a time of 15:59.82 to lead Philip Simmons to a fourth-place finish in the team standings.
St. Joseph’s claimed first with 46 while Governor’s School finished a distant second with 121, Greer was third with 141 and the Iron Horses scored 144 points to claim fourth.
The Iron Horses’ Thomas Schmenk placed 25th and Will Finch was 26th.
In the girls’ meet, St. Joseph scored 35 points to top Phillip Simmons, which scored 75. Greer was third with 111 points.
Hailey Meyers led Philip Simmons with a third-place finish of 19:17.97.
Josie May was 11th and Emma Muller was 12th. Iron Horse seventh-grader Grace Ward placed 20th.
BE TENNIS
The Bishop England girls’ tennis team took another step in its drive to yet another state title with a victory over Aynor Monday night.
The Bishops, who received a first-round bye, will play the winner of the Georgetown-Loris match on Wednesday at Bishop England.
The Bishops are seeking their eighth consecutive state title and 23rd overall. The Bishops’ current 22 state titles are the most ever in state history.
The state championships are set for Nov. 10 at the Lexington County Tennis Complex. The team is coached by Kristen Fleming Arnold.