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
7 Alexis Workman 20:03.77 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
3 Alexis Workman 20:03.77 Summit Prep
4 Olivia Lynch 21:24.26 Summit Prep
5 Braylynn Siercks 21:44.989 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
2 Titus Thompson 17:18.78 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
