PSHS cross-country girls make a run at another championship

The Philip Simmons High School girls’ cross-country team celebrated its second consecutive state championship last November.

 

But the occasion had its solemn moments as coach Josh Michael and the rest of the Iron Horses said farewell to four seniors who were the backbone of the program. Hailey Meyers, Emmy Wood, Josie May and Grace Ward had been with the program since its inception six years earlier.

 

The foursome was a part of teams that never lost a region championship and never finished worse than third in the team standings at the state meet. 

 

The quartet combined for 19 all-region awards and 13 all-state accolades.

 

But don’t shed any tears for the Iron Horses just yet.

 

“If you go back and look, historically, a team can be so different from one year to the next,” Michael said. “But we ended up having only two seniors run at state. We bring back seven of our top 10.”

 

The Iron Horse girls posted an impressive 32-73 victory over Daniel at the Class AAA championships in Newberry with a youth movement that capped a stellar season.

 

Junior Ava Mallek begins the season as the Iron Horses top runner. She won the individual state title with a national elite clocking of 18:51.96 over the 5-kilometer course. Laura Perry, who is back for her sophomore year, finished in fourth with a national elite time of 19:36.53.

 

It was Mallek’s first victory at a major meet after finishing fourth at last year’s Coach’s Classic.

 

“She is a special athlete,” Michael said of Mallek. “She grew up a soccer player and transitioned to running. She’s a great competitor who doesn’t like to lose. A lot of people don’t like to lose, but don’t have the talent she has.”

 

Michael also has high praise for Perry.

 

“Ava has benefitted from training with Laura,” Michael said. “They are tremendous training partners. From the first time Laura stepped on the course, I knew she was a special talent.”

 

Keziah Varner and Anna Alomar earned all-state honors as sophomores while Lilah May and Bicho Alomar have worked hard in preparation for breakout years.

 

Michael said his team knows the history of the program well.

 

“We’ve talked about the legacy of the program and how each class has moved the program forward,” the coach said. “It starts in the seventh grade and continues throughout their careers.”

 

While the girls go after their third straight title, the Iron Horse boys finished in second place last fall. It was the third time in six years the Iron Horses placed second.

 

Wrenn High School posted a 64-76 victory over PSHS to win the boys’ Class AAA state championship.

 

Pierce Walker finished in fourth place to lead the Iron Horses. He covered the course with a national elite effort of 16:18.59 to earn all-state honors along with Joseph Wright, who finished in 14th.

 

Griffin Tollison, Grady Castiglia, Matthew Perry and Wesley Patterson provide solid depth.

 

The Iron Horses kick off the season this weekend when they compete in a meet hosted by Summerville High School.