Runners and running enthusiasts who gathered at Woodland Park Baptist Church Saturday morning for the annual McCallie Invitational cross country races couldn’t have picked a prettier day or more suitable conditions for the competition.
It was muddy in places from all the rain we got this week and the course even had to be changed, so there were three loops instead of two. But the temperatures were ideal and the humidity was low, so it was a blessing to have ideal conditions for a change.
The Baylor girls and the McCallie boys were the team winners in the varsity divisions while Maryville’s Andie-Marie Jones and Cleveland’s Ryan Lovelace were individual winners.
Jones bolted into the lead from the start and that never changed as she covered the 3.1-mile course in 17 minutes, 34 seconds to win by 16 seconds over Madeline Wheatcroft of the Chattanooga Patriots. Leah Boyd of the Patriots was third in 18:20 while Baylor’s Mae Mae Powe was fourth in 18:51.34, nipping the Patriots’ Hannah Faudi, who was fifth in 18:51.95.
With Baylor putting three runners in the top 10, the Lady Red Raiders prevailed with 63 points while the Patriots were a close second with 68. GPS was third with 84.
“My goal was to break 18 minutes and I heard that it was a flat course, so I just had to come check and see for myself,” Jones said after winning the girls race.
“I went through the first mile a bit faster than I had planned, but I’m so glad that Maddie was there to push me. This is where our region meet will be, so I’m glad I got to see the course,” the Maryville senior added.
Baylor coach Heather Ott was really happy with the way her girls ran and the fact they came out on top.
“That’s great,” she said when it was revealed that her girls had indeed come in first place.
“This is a very satisfying performance at this stage of the season, but their training is starting to pay off. It’s a total buy-in for all of these girls, so it’s nice to see them get rewarded for their hard work.
“Mae Mae led us with a lot of strength and it was nice to see Helen (Webb) have a good race. And what can you say about Addi Green, who is just a freshman and is one of the most focused girls I’ve ever coached. And I couldn’t be any more proud of Laney Fowler, who finished 20th, but beat three girls in the final five meters.
“We had a nice road trip to Huntsville last weekend, but it’s even more fun to run at home. And winning just makes it even better,” Ott added.
Cleveland’s Lovelace, who is entertaining college offers from all across the country, was also the leader from the start as there was a group of six packed together when they passed the first mile. There was still a nice group at mile two, but Lovelace had put a gap on them when he crossed the finish line in 15:23.
MBA’s William Holleman was runner up in 15:34 while Sequatchie County’s Carter Bradford had another outstanding race and finished third in 15:38.
McCallie’s Jack Bowen and Baylor’s Xian Campbell completed the top five with times of 15:39 and 15:42, respectively.
“I knew there would be some studs here today and that’s why I chose to come here, but I wasn’t feeling my best at the start. I just had to do my best and to have some fun in the process,” said Lovelace, a 17-year-old senior for the Blue Raiders.
“I’ll never complain about a win, but I just came and did what I had planned to do. My original goal was to hang back and then take the lead in the final mile, but I was in the lead from the start and that plan never materialized. But I’m just blessed to be able to win again and I just want to give God all the glory,” he added.
McCallie tallied 53 points to beat arch-rival Baylor by 29 points. Maryville was third with 108 while MBA and Chattanooga Christian followed with scores of 120 and 170.
The Blue Tornado is the two-time defending state champion for Division II and they should be in the thick of the competition when the season ends the first weekend in November. Coach Mike Wood feels like his team was a bit more focused than the last time they competed.
“Our guys were much more focused than they were in our first meet as they were more engaged with the task at hand,” Wood said before the team scores were announced.
“We’ve been preaching all season about running as a pack and I thought they did a nice job of that today. These guys have put in a big summer of running and I’m really pleased with our progress at this point. Today’s race is a good step in the right direction,” Wood added.
Complete results will be posted on this website when they become available.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)