EVANSVILLE – Bedford North Lawrence finished 10th in the crowded Dennis Bays Invitational during girls high school cross country action at Angel Mounds on Saturday.
The Stars totaled 286 points in the 26-team field. Bloomington South won the team title with 72 points, edging Columbus North (73). In the boys race, BNL finished 18th out of 28 teams with 483 points. Columbus North won that crown with 52, clipping Bloomington North (54).
In the girls race, freshman Elise Williams paced the Stars, crossing the line in 42nd place (in a field of 254 competitors) in a personal-best time of 22:29.1. Francesca Orozco was 56th in 23:15.5.
“Our team worked hard to push each other today and not get caught up in a competitive race,” Williams said. “We helped each other run our own race. I’m really glad that I’m getting better each race after putting the work in.”
Jabrie Sullivan finished in 23:28.3.
“I’m very proud of the girls and the way they responded to competition at today’s meet,” BNL co-coach Amy Spence said. “They kept their heads in the race and pushed their limits. It’s really going to pay off for them. They packed pretty well and were aware during the race. Evija (Buike), who was racing for the first time, finished in our top five. We have a great little pack.”
“We had a solid week of morning practices this week because of the heat,” co-coach Danielle Garrison added. “I’m proud of the girls for showing up early and putting in the work. They raced hard today.”
Bloomington South’s Aurelia Martoglio was the individual winner in 19:19.4.
In the boys race, Jonah Bailey was the top BNL finisher, crossing 42nd (out of 299 runners) in 17:47.9.
“This was an opportunity to gain experience in a big cross country meet,” BNL coach Nick Boyd said. “We sought out this race to have the opportunity to race on the IHSAA regional course for this year. Nick Lindley had a great race today and has made some quality improvements so far this year. I look forward to seeing how his season progresses. Jaymee Reed ran well for us and I expect him to continue to make contributions throughout this year.”
Lindley was 63rd in 18:10.3 while Reed was 116th in 19:29.5.
“I ran my race,” Lindley said. “I’m excited to get a PR today and excited that this is the course we could potentially run for the regional.”
“The course was really good, really flat,” Reed said. “I’m looking forward to lowering my time for the rest of the year.”
Bloomington North’s Jacob Mitchell was the individual winner in 15:16.3.
BNL will host the Scott Hiles Invitational on Tuesday.
DENNIS BAYS INVITATIONAL
