October 14, 2019
By: Dwayne Page
The DMS Saints Cross Country teams competed at their Mid-State Regional Qualifier meet at Macon County High School on Saturday, October 12th.
There are 7 total Regional Qualifying races across the state of Tennessee. The top 5 teams and the top 25 individuals from each of the 7 regions advance to the State Meet that will be held at Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville on Saturday, October 19th.
The Lady Saints were victorious at the Mid-State Regional taking home a 1st place team finish out of a field of 65 runners and 6 complete teams. This marks the 1st Regional win for the DeKalb girls since the program started in 2014. The Saints boys team finished 4th overall out a field of 92 runners and 12 complete teams. Both teams earned qualifying honors for States!!
The girls team had 5 of their runners finish in the top 10.
In the girls varsity race, Ella Van Vranken led the Lady Saints with a first place overall finish with a time of 13:02. Zoe Keys finished close behind her in 2nd place with a time of 13:18, Katherine Knowles was 5th 13:55, Mylie Phillips 8th 14:15, Madeline Martin 9th 14:16, Maleah Ruch 24th 15:56 and Sydney Polk 30th 16:16.
In the boys varsity race, Kaleb Spears led his team with a 3rd place finish overall and a time of 12:48, followed close behind by Caleb Gray 7th place 12:59, Ian Colwell 9th place 13:03, Cale Brown 42nd 14:11, Dylan Cathey 54th 14:44, Sam Harris 61st 15:10, and Carson Tramel 72nd 15:49.
In the JV races the DeKalb girls had three of their runners in the top 10 out of a field of 30 runners. Candice Rico 6th 17:17, Cadence Reynolds 8th 17:31, Sylvia Evans 10th 17:40 and Mara Oakley 19th 19:07. Out of a field of 60 runners, the DeKalb boys finished with Evan Carmichael 29th 16:10, Ethan Spears 30th 16:19, Jackson Hodges, 17:07, Freddy Oberdier 17:49, and Mason Taylor 53rd 19:50.
“These runners have worked so hard for months, with some juggling two sports throughout the season. They have been training since May and it’s been awesome to see how far they have come. The State meet in Knoxville is a huge competitive race. We have worked hard to earn honors to compete there. Last year at States our girls team was 14th and our boys team was 16th out of a field of 31 of the best middle school teams across Tennessee. Every single team there is strong. They will all have to leave it all out on the course that day and dig deep!! I am so proud of them and I am excited to see what we can do,” said Coach Kristen Van Vranken.