Northside’s Middle School Cross Country runners recently competed in the Middle School Championship Meet hosted by Ben Lippen. The race consisted of two loops and a 100-meter straightaway to the finish, covering two miles. Seven of the eight Crusader runners set a personal record for a 2-mile race.
The Boys Middle School race began at 6:00 P.M. in the pouring rain. Noah Greene paced the Crusaders, finishing with a time of 12:24.30, and a 6th place finish overall. The time was a personal best for Greene in a two-mile race; his previous best was a 15:03.00. The performance adds to Greene’s stellar second season running for the Crusaders. William Cochrane had an incredible performance of his own, finishing with a time of 13:04.00, and finishing 16th overall. The performance easily bested Cochrane’s previous 2-mile time at Hammond by more than two minutes. Ethan Lafave made a strong season debut finishing 23rd overall with a time of 13:38.70. Lafave was followed by Mark Diaz who crushed his previous time on Ben Lippen’s course by finishing in 36th place overall with a time of 14:32.20. Diaz was followed closely by teammate Jonah Lafave who was running in his first meet of the season for the Crusaders. Not to be confused with his brother Ethan, Jonah Lafave finished 37th overall in the race, recording a time of 14:38.60. Trenton Manzi rounded out the race for the Crusader Boys, as he finished 53rd overall with a time of 17:21.80, which was his best two-mile time by approximately 25 seconds. The Boys team raced extremely well, finishing 4th overall in the meet!
For the Girls Middle School race, teammates Chloe Jones and Madison Gause represented the Crusaders. Both runners are in their first season running for the Crusaders. This was Jones first 2-mile race of the season, and her second race of the season overall. Jones had a strong race, finishing 19th overall with a time of 15:30.40. Gause followed closely behind as she placed 21st overall by posting a time of 15:33.70. This represented Gause’s second best 2-mile time of the season.
On Saturday, October 9th, the Cross-Country Team will travel to Newberry College to compete in the 2021 Bob Jenkins SCTCCA Coaches Classic. The Crusaders will look to hold their own as they compete in one of the biggest meets held in the state each year. The Crusaders will be competing alongside some of the best runners and Cross-Country teams in the South Carolina.
