Philip Simmons cross-country teams excel at Eye Opener meet

Another big cross-country meet, and another huge effort from the Philip Simmons High School harriers.

 

The Iron Horses competed in the 2024 Eye Opener over the weekend and the trip to Spartanburg to compete in the race was well worth it as the Iron Horses and Bishop England ran against some of the best teams in the Palmetto State and North Carolina.

 

Philip Simmons coach Josh Michael’s squad competed in the International Division of the event and fared well. The Iron Horse girls finished in fourth place in the 35-team event with 195 points, the best finish for a Class AA team in the race as Fort Mill, Lexington and Mauldin finished 1-2-3.

 

The Iron Horses boys also competed in the race and claimed seventh place with 270 points.

 

The Bishop England girls, who are also seeking their third consecutive state title, finished in 12th place in the International Division with 390 points, and the BE boys were 26th. 

 

While the obvious prize is the state meet, which will be contested at Newberry in November, the Eye Opener might offer more competition because teams from North Carolina also competed in the 5K event, which was hosted at the Milliken Center. 

 

“It’s a great event because you have so many teams, so many runners,” Michael said. “This is a good test and gives you an idea where your team is at this stage of the season.

 

“We have some other big races coming up,” Michael said. “The kids really like to compete at the Lowcountry Invite, which is held at Mullet Hall on Johns Island. For me, the next measuring stick is the Coaches Classic.” 

 

The Iron Horse girls are bidding for their third consecutive state championship, and there is still plenty of talent on campus despite losing four seniors from last year’s squad. 

 

Junior Avah Mallek led the Iron Horses at the Eye Opener with a fourth-place finish. She won the individual state title with a national elite clocking of 18:51.96 over the 5-kilometer course last fall. At the Eye Opener, she set a personal best with a time of 18:42. 

 

Laura Perry finished in seventh place while Lilah May was 39th, Kezia Varner was 65th and Flynn Taylor was 71st as more than 350 runners crossed the finish line. 

 

The Iron Horse boys also fared well, finishing in seventh place as five of the Iron Horses top six runners recorded personal bests at the Eye Opener. 

 

Seniors Pierce Walker and Joseph Wright finished 11th and 15th individually to lead PSHS. 

 

The Bishop England girls were led by the talented Nora Brahim, a veteran who has state meet experience. She crossed the finish line in 15th place. Grace Buss finished in 51st place. Eighth-grader Sienna D’Agostino was 62nd. 

 

Marc Brahim led the Bishop boys with a 39th-place finish.