Freshman Standouts Propel Salina South to Third-Place Finish at Swather Special Invitational

By Huey Counts

Thanks in large part to the quick legs of a couple new girls, Salina South secured a third-place team score Thursday at the Swather Special Cross Country Invitational.

Kyla Hamel and Hanna Willie placed 1-2 in the freshman bracket of the Large Class Division (Class 4A-5A-6A) of the 5K race at Hesston Golf Park. Matched up with teammate Alina Arceo's win in the senior bracket, the 5A Cougars totaled 24 points, finishing behind two 6A entries, Garden City (17) and Dodge City (22).

Hamel, a transfer from Southeast of Saline, led her competition from the start, finishing in 22 minutes, 28 seconds, while Willie pulled away late from Salina Central's Addy Lund, to clock 23:25. Arceo also ran her race entirely from the front, winning in 21:56.

In the Small Class Division (Class 1A-2A-3A), Caroline Stone and Libby Kierscht ran to third and fourth, respectively, in the junior bracket to boost Sacred Heart to third in team points with 13. Hesston grabbed first with five points, followed by Smoky Valley with nine.

Stone and Kierscht ran together until just past the two-mile when Stone put on a surge, opening up a gap which slowly grew to more than 30 seconds. Stone finished at 22:02, with Kierscht done in 22:48.Salina Central had Saline County's top two boys' showing, with Liam Deniau-Young and Ethan Soper securing silver medals. Deniau-Young's 17:31 came in the Large Class junior bracket, while Soper ran 18:36 in the ninth-grade race.

Salina Central's Ethan Soper, a freshman, receives encouragement from his teammates near the end of his race. Soper placed second in the Class 4A-5A-6A division.

Lund was the Mustangs top finisher with her bronze as teammates Katelyn Rupe and Kaylie Shultz did not race. They are instead competing on Saturday at the extremely competitive Olathe Twilight Meet at Olathe North High School.

Southeast of Saline and Ell-Saline are racing Saturday morning at the Wamego Invitational.

Liam Deniau-Young crests the final hill before the finish line on his way to second place in the Class 4A-5A-6A junior division.

Sacred Heart's Caroline Stone, right, and Libby Kierscht finished third and fourth, respectively, in the juniors race of the Class 1A-2A-3A division.