Middle School Cross Country

The middle school cross country teams wrapped up the season with the conference meet Tuesday at the Wendell Parks and Recreation Department course. Laura Martin earned a medal with a fifth place finish in the girls championship race, while Bennett Phillips and Taylor Winstead came in seventh and eighth in the open race. The girls team was missing two runners because of injuries and couldn’t field a complete team. On the boys side, Hunter Hueman and John Thagard were 14^thand 16^thas the team finished seventh.

The middle school boys cross country team finished third and the girls fourth in Tuesday’s meet in Wendell. 8^thgrader Laura Martin won the girls race, covering the 1.6-mile course in 10:41.4, a full 13 seconds ahead of the second place finisher from Cary Academy. "Besides her talent in running, Laura leads the team in excellence of character," said coach Caitie Anderson. "Her dedication and leadership continue to shine. Overall, our team is improving as greater effort has led to better times and finishes." Elizabeth Barnes was 13^thand Bennet Philp took 15^thfor SDS. NRCA won the girls race with Trinity of Raleigh second and Cary Academy third. John Thagard led the Warriors boys with a ninth place finish. Cary Academy won the boys race with NRCA second. 

Both Warriors middle school cross-country teams took seventh place in Thursday’s meet at Bond Park in Cary. Laura Martin finished third to lead the girls and John Thagard paced the boys with a seventh place finish over the 1.8 mile course. “We dealt with the heat, twisted ankles and cramps pretty well,” said coach Caitie Anderson. “We persevered and competed well.” 

The middle school boys and girls cross country teams opened the season at Ravenscroft Thursday. The girls tied with the hosts for second place behind St. Timothy’s. Laura Martin won the girls race, covering the 1.86-mile (3k) course in 10:51, 20 seconds faster than the second place runner. Elizabeth Barnes finished sixth. The boys finished third behind the Ravens and Titans. John Thagard took second overall and Hunter Hueman was fifth.