ELKTON — While their place-finishes did not qualify them individually or as a team for the upcoming state cross country championships, every one of Kent County’s runners came away from the Class 1A East Region meet here on Thursday with something as equally significant.
“They pushed themselves beyond my expectations,” first-year head coach Patrick McColigan told The Evening Enterprise.
“Overall, it was a great season,” he added, talking about Kent County’s all-underclassman squad.
The top 21 boys and 15 girls punched their tickets to Saturday’s championship races at hilly Hereford in Baltimore County.
Kent County freshman Kato Swanson missed the cut by two spots, placing 23rd in 20 minutes flat, and sophomore Janey Depp missed it by four, placing 19th in 25:29.
Alden Swanson, now a junior, qualified for states last year but she did not run on Thursday because of a nagging injury, according to McColigan.
It was shirtsleeve sunny, with the mercury nearly hitting 80 degrees, for the Oct. 31 races that featured 81 boys and 48 girls in the 1A East Region field. The 5,000-meter course was centered around Fair Hill Race Track — including a downhill and gradual uphill for mile two and a rocky and hilly wooded area on mile three that brought runners back to a loop of the grassy racetrack for the finish.
Bohemia Manor junior Kenai Black led the way in 17 minutes, 38 seconds.
Patterson Mill junior Chris Novak was the runner-up in 17:54 as the only other racer to break 18 minutes, and Harford Tech junior Michael Beser was third in 18:04.
Harford Tech (50 points), Patterson Mill (53) and Bo Manor (57) finished 1-2-3 in the team standings, each placing their five scorers in the top 20.
Cambridge (116) also qualified as a team with its fourth-place finish. The Vikings were led by senior Tekai Drummond, who was seventh in 18:18.
On the girls side, Harford Tech senior Isabel Devos was first across the line in 20:19 — nearly a minute ahead of runner-up Abigail Horsmon of Patterson Mill (21:17) and two minutes faster than third-place finisher Allie Suarezapecheche of Snow Hill (22:22).
There were only a handful of schools that brought full girls teams. North Harford (43), Patterson Mill (49), Havre de Grace (98) and Cambridge-South Dorchester (128) qualified.
Cambridge senior Camryn Russum also made the cut as an individual, placing 12th in 23:39.
Printed here are the results for Kent County.
GIRLS: Janey Depp, 25:29, 19th; Jordana Capp, personal best of 30:50; McKenzie Smith, 33:59; and Sydney Bortz, 51:42.
BOYS: Kato Swanson, 20:00, 23rd; Andrew Buckel, 23:50; Lynden Saunders, 25:10; Dalton Smith, 27:01; Austin Sengprasert-Galan, personal best of 27:35; and John Fries, 35:42.
Coach Patrick McColigan ’18, a three-time state qualifier when he ran for the Trojans, told The Evening Enterprise that “it was such an awesome moment to be able to have my runners make it to the region meet.”
“I saw progress for every runner on the team from the start of the season to the end, which made my coaching feel like a step in the right director,” he added. “I am very excited to see what next year brings. … I hope to come back and have some state qualifiers next season.”
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In the Class 2A East Region meet, also held Oct. 31 at Fair Hill, Queen Anne’s senior Ben Marks successfully defended his title with a winning time of 17:01. He finished a full minute ahead of runner-up Nicholas Spangler (18:01), a Fallston junior.
There were 77 boys.
Kent Island junior Gunner Hansard placed fifth overall in 18:16.16, helping the Bucs qualify as a team for states.
The top six teams — C. Milton Wright (83), Fallston (85), Kent Island (91), North East (112), Rising Sun (114) and North Harford (173) — qualified for Saturday, Nov. 9 at Hereford.
In the girls race, North East senior Leanna Rogers stopped the timer in 20:40 — the only runner in the field of 66 to break 21 minutes — to repeat as the region champ.
North Harford sophomore Mallory McCartney was second in 21:12 and C. Milton Wright junior Cameryn Loper was third in 21:47.
Queen Anne’s junior Faith Gordon was fourth in 22:08.
The top five teams qualified: — North Harford (34), C. Milton Wright (86), Queen Anne’s (97), Rising Sun (109) and North Caroline (119).
North Caroline senior Brooke Sullivan was eighth in 22:32.