Alligator Park

Kristin Sweeney, November 15, 2011

A mist hung over Alligator Park last Saturday morning as teams pulled up from all around Lake City to run in either the 1A, 2A, or 3A Region 1 competitions. As the sun rose, the frost on the ground began to disappear, and the temperatures thankfully began to rise. Still, it was quite chilly, especially for first the girls' races of the morning. When the gun went off at 7:30 for the 3A race, most of the Lady Timberwolves, Lions, and Trojans were donned in long sleeved under armor, gloves, and headbands to try and combat the cold. The low temperatures did not faze the runners, however, and Chiles continued their winning streak with a low score of 43. Claiming another individual victory as well, Lily Williams led this team with her time of 17:50, and her teammates Carly Thomas (18:17) and Rachel Givens (18:21) filled in the next two spots. Leon finished twelfth, and Lincoln was sixteenth. In the boys' 3A race, an incredible fourteen athletes broke the 16-minute barrier. Taylor Buzzard from Chiles, Will Henderson from Leon, and Jacob Slupecki from Lincoln crossed the finish line in that order for fifth, sixth, and seventh – all with a time of 15:55! Chiles finished fourth place overall and Leon was fifth which means both schools will compete at state this Saturday. Lincoln was ninth.

The 1A ladies also ran early, and the temperature at 8 was still quite cool. Maclay's Stefanie Kurgatt claimed her victory about 2 miles into the race, and she finished in 18:16. Her teammates Kristin Sweeney (19:02) and Elizabeth Santoro (20:48) helped the Marauders finish second. During the 1A boys' race, Maclay dominated the competition led by Travis Covert (16:47) in first. Connor Daughton (16:59.31 - 4th), Alex Artecona (16:59.68 – 5th), Jack Rutledge (17:22 – 10th), and Matt Antworth (17:32 – 13th) rounded out the top 5 for the Marauders with all of them finishing in the top 15. North Florida Christian also had a great race, and they claimed sixth. Alex Strickland was their top finisher in seventh with a 17:12.

By the time the 2A races competed, the sun had worked its magic, and the weather was gorgeous! Florida High's ladies earned eighth. Qualifying for state individually, Joseph Garcia of Florida High finished tenth in a personal record of 16:52! With so many runners from Tallahassee continuing on to the state meet in Dade City this Saturday, the Region Meets were a success! One more meet remains for the 2011 Cross-Country season: the state meet! Go Tallahassee!