By Don Eskins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The annual Southwest Cross Country Coaches Association featured more than 40 area schools and 575 finishers in the varsity race.
A pair of underclassmen took the top honors with Kickapoo freshman Klarie Brown and El Dorado Springs sophomore Daelen Ackley winning the overall individual titles.
Brown streaked across the course in a time of 19:16.70 to grab top honors in this year’s girls high school division while Ackley posted a time of 16:00.99 to claim top honors in the boys.
For Brown it was her first trip to compete in the SWCCCA Meet on the varsity level. However, as an eighth grader at Cherokee Middle School in Springfield last year, she finished third in the SWCCCA’s junior high division.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GIRLS RACE
Although it was her first high school varsity race, Brown had a plan to win for her first trip to the SWCCCA as a freshman.
“I was third or fourth after the first lap but I moved up to second place on the second,” said Brown. “I had kept up with the second place girl throughout the race, it’s what I had hoped to be able to do. I felt that if I was able to do that then I could kick it up down the stretch to get the win. Luckily I was able to do it.”
“I’m really happy to have won today,” Brown said. “It feels really good, has given me lots of confidence, and I’m ready to move on.”
Kickapoo Coach Jeremy Goddard knew he had a good one when Brown made her appearance on this year’s team, but how good he wasn’t sure.
“We knew she was good. She ran the second fastest time, as a freshman, we’ve ever had on our trial course and she’s definitely turned in some times that would rank among the best top ten times we’ve ever recorded,” said Goddard. “But she has no fear. She just gets after it. That’s what makes her so special.”
Sophomore Daelen Ackley has had a goal for the past two years; he’s wanted to be able to compete with and beat athletes from the big schools.
Last year he finished first at the SWCCCA Meet in Class 2 but was fifth overall. An off-season of hard work helped him move up to that No. 1 overall spot this year.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE BOYS RACE
“It feels really good to finish on top this year,” said the El Dorado sophomore. “But I’ve worked really hard, especially during the summer, in an effort to be able to get a win at this year’s SWCCCA Meet.”
And what was Ackley’s plan for a victory.
“I had a plan as the race got underway,” he said. “But I didn’t follow it a whole lot. I just got out and ran.”
But Ackley wasn’t the only one with a plan for the SWCCCA Meet.
“We wanted to hold him back a bit for the first mile so he wouldn’t burn out and he did a good job of doing that for us. But when he saw the opportunity to win, as the gap closed between him and the leader, he just took off and got it done,” said El Dorado Springs head coach Jeremy Goatley. “Daelen is a great worker and leader on our team. We’re all so very proud of what he was able to accomplish today.”
The SWCCCA’s Meet was undoubtedly a huge success as runners throughout the area got to tune up their skills and abilities as the 2019 cross country season gets underway.
FULL RESULTS: BOYS RACE – CLICK HERE
FULL RESULTS: GIRLS RACE – CLICK HERE
                                            Girls Results
                             Top 10 Combined Results
No.       Name                                 Time                  School
1            Klarie Brown                     19:16.70             Kickapoo
2            Riley Arnold                      19:18.25             Blue Eye
3            Alicen Ashley                    19:32.41             Nixa
4            Riley Hawkins                   19:50.64             Webb City
5            Avery Arnold                     19:52.93             Blue Eye
6            Calli Beshore                    20:00.62             Nevada
7Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Alexis Workman 20:03.77Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Summit Prep
8            Emma Puetz                      20:05.61             Rolla
9            Jenari Lopez                      20:07.55             Carthage
10          Clare Holmes                   20:09.14             Camdenton
                                           Class 1- Top 5
No.       Name                                 Time                    School
1            Riley Arnold                      19:18.25             Blue Eye
2            Avery Arnold                     19:52.93             Blue Eye
3Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Alexis Workman 20:03.77Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Summit Prep
4            Olivia Lynch                      21:24.26             Summit Prep
5Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Braylynn Siercks 21:44.989Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Blue Eye
Class 2- Top 5
No.       Name                                 Time                    School
1            Grace Bishop                    21:02.95             College Hts.
2            Sierra Sankey                    21:03.27             Fatima
3            Hannah Klaiber                 21:19.81             El Dorado
4            Emma Bower                    21:36.99             Fatima
5            Lily Hunsucker                  22:15.39             Spokane
Class 3- Top 5
No.       Name                                 Time                    School
1            Calli Beshore                    20:0062              Nevada
2            Cora Stimpson                  20:13.75             Bolivar
3            Emily Bandy                      20:32.35             Bolivar
4            Alanza  Montez               20:48.37             Carl Jct.
5            Sara Wolf                          21:19.85             Osage
Class 4- Top 5
1            Klarie Brown                     19:16.70             Kickapoo
2            Alicen Ashley                    19:32.41             Nixa
3            Riley Hawkins                   19:50.64             Webb City
4            Emma Puetz                      20:05.61             Rolla
5            Jenari Lopez                      20:07.55             Carthage
Team Scores- Top 4 Class 1
No.       School                 Score
1            Blue Eye                              27
2            Summit Prep                      52
3            Liberal                                 60
4            Hermitage                          84
Class 2- Top 4
No.       School                                Score
1            Fatima                                40
2            El Dorado Springs            40
3            College Hts.                      41
Class 3- Top 4
No         School                                Score
1            Carl Junction                     48
2            Bolivar                               56
3            Osage                                 65
4            Nevada                              87
Class 4- Top 4
No         School                                Score
1            Webb City                         70
2            Kickapoo                           98
3            Carthage                         126
4            Joplin                               140
Boys Results
                             Top 10′ Combined Results
No.       Name                                 Time                    School
1            Daelen Ackley                   16:00.99             El Dorado
2            Haddon Spikereit             16:06.77             Webb City
3            Brady Bauder                    16:16.20             Kickapoo
4            Eros Sustaita                     16:16.51             Nixa
5            William Kershaw              16:16:52             Nixa
6            Joseph Dawson                16:20.09             Webb City
7            Jacob Bennion                  16:44.54             E. Newton
8            Sam Shuman                     16:51.81             Spokane
9            Brooklyn Creehan            16:52.78             Kickapjoo
10          Micah Bruggeman           16:59.14             Joplin
Class 1- Top 5
No.       Name                                 Time                    School
1            Ryan Cardenzana             17:13.77             Blue Eye
2Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Titus Thompson 17:18.78Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â S.O.T.O.
3            Codey Shuler                    17:34.73             Fair Play
4            Braden Nettleton            18:31.07             S.O.T.O.
5            Max Dingman                   18:37.04             Liberal
Class 2- Top 5
No         Name                                 Time                    School
1            Daelen Ackley                   16:00.99             El Dorado
2            Sam Shuman                     16:51.81             Spokane
3            Tanner Talley                    17:13:57             Summit Prep
4            Lucas Laux                        17:29.53             Fatima
5            Grant Stewart                   17:32.09             Spokane
Class 3- Top 5
No.       Name                                 Time                    School
1            Jacob Bennion                  16:44.54             E. Newton
2            Cole Chafin                       16:59.81             Willow Springs
3            Gabe Bergen                     17:13.58             E. Newton
4            Kelton Sorrell                    17:26.98             E. Newton
5            Cale Thiessen                   17:28.63             Bolivar
Class 4- Top 5
No         Name                                 Time                    School
1            Haddon Spikereit             16:06.77             Webb City
2            Bady Bauder                     16:16.20             Kickapoo
3            Eros Sustaita                     16:16.51             Nixa
4            William Kershaw              16:16.52             Nixa
5            Joseph Dawson                16:20.09             Webb City
Class 1- Top 4
No         School                                Score
1            Hermitage                         70
2            Liberal                                73
3            Blue Eye                             91
4            Sch. of Ozarks                  93
Class 2- Top 4
No         School                                Score
1            Fatima                                40
2            Spokane                             78
3            El Dorado Springs            81
4            Stockton                            87
Class 3- Top 4
No         School                                Score
1            Bolivar                               32
2            East Newton                     33
3            Carl Junction                   101
4            Osage                               104
Class 3- Top 4
No         School                                Score
1            Kickapoo                           48
2            Webb City                         71
3            Nixa                                    74
4            Carthage                           99
