By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
NIXA, MO — It was a clean sweep for Nixa athletes during Saturday’s 6th annual Riann Lubinski Invitational.
Reyes Martinez and Emma Hurst each captured individual titles for the Eagles under near-perfect 68-degree skies.
Martinez, a senior, outpaced Springfield Catholic’s Kyle Hathcock over the final 2,000 meters to win in a time of 16:38.43. Hathcock crossed in 15:55.23.
“I knew I was probably going to be challenged,” Martinez said following the race. “ For me, I just wanted to get out hot. After the first mile, I just wanted to get a little bit of separation so I could open my stride and just be in the moment.”
Despite the early deficit, Hathcock would not go away quietly. Heading into the second loop, The Irish junior slowly reeled Martinez back in.
“In the second mile, (Hathcock) kind of came up next to me,” Martinez said. “I just wanted to see how he was feeling, and I let him kind of pull me through the second mile.”
Opting to play the tactical game on Nixa’s Inman Elementary home course, Martinez waited for the right opportunity to surge for the finish.
“(Inman) is definitely an advantage,” Martinez said. “We run this course three times a week and know all the good spots to make the moves. I knew if (Hathcock) didn’t have anything at the third mile, I’d have to just go, so I really tried to lay the hammer down and get some separation.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE BOYS RACE
Nixa captured four of the top six spots, with senior Nicholas Flannery (16:08.00) in third, junior Gage Holmes (16:42.00) in fourth and senior Zane Novinger (16:47.00) in sixth.
Ava senior Isaac Smith (16:43.11) finished fifth.
Nixa head coach Lance Brumley praised Martinez for flourishing in a leadership role this season.
“Reyes has seen good senior classes go through before him, and he’s picked up the reins and put his own spin on it,” Brumley said. “I’m just so proud of the work he’s put in.”
In the girls event, Emma Hurst continued to build on her solid debut season with a winning time of 20:12.67.
The Nixa sophomore pulled away from Carl Junction freshman Caitlyn Napton (20:22.13) and Gainesville sophomore Jessica Suit (20:26.00) over the final 800 meters to secure the victory.
Following the race, Hurst – who had her sights set on a sub-20 finish and personal best time – was quick to credit senior teammates Mackinzie Harris and Meliah Copley for helping set the pace and keeping things under control early on.
“Whenever I got out, I felt strong,” Hurst said of her strategy. “I was too scared that I could go out almost too fast, and I wouldn’t be able to keep the pace, but I think running with Kenzie and Meliah, that really kept me going.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GIRLS RACE
As the race moved into the late-stage, tree-covered segment, the lead pack gained some separation from the Nixa seniors, and Hurst found herself fighting alone.
“It got harder once we went into the woods,” Hurst said. “I was like, ‘who am I supposed to pace with?’ because in the prior meets, I was so used to having people around me. I train with them every day. I know how they run and it’s easy to run in an environment you’re already comfortable with.”
Unfazed, Hurst pushed on and emerged from the woods with a significant gap that neither Napton nor Suit were able to close.
Copley (20:35.17) and Harris (20:55.97) finished fourth and sixth place, respectively, bookending Marshfield junior Skylee Lamkey (20:35.68) in fifth.
With Hurst showing signs of promise in her debut season, Brumley pointed to the unselfish behavior of his senior leaders, Harris in particular, as a significant factor in that development.
“This is Emma’s first year of cross country,” Brumley said. “And she’s getting to learn from some of our leaders like Mackenzie Harris, and Mackenzie is a fantastic leader. I think Emma is excelling because of the interest that Kenzie shows in her — so, so happy to see these girls compete.”
