Lady Lions struggle at Moulton

The Lady Lion cross country team traveled down to Moulton on Saturday, Sept. 11, to race in the Moulton Invitational. Two runners competed in the Varsity 3A-5A division. Senior Alysia Peralez led the way with a 15th-place finish and completed the two-mile course in 14:30. Competing in only her third cross country race, sophomore Olivia Smith finished in 24th place and ran a

time of 15:03.

In the Junior Varsity division, the Lady Lions raced a full squad of seven runners and placed second overall with 42 points, just behind Elgin’s who won with 38.

The Lions were led by senior Alissa Casteel who placed fifth, with a time of 15:54. Right behind Casteel was sophomore Mercedes Gutierrez, who placed sixth in 15:55, and freshman Nessa Rios, who placed seventh in 15:56. Two other freshmen ran spectacular races to close out the top five scoring runners.

Sierra Steele and Kaitlyn Harkin placed 12th and 14th respectively, with times of 16:15 and 16:28. Junior Libby Thomas finished in 35th place with a final time of 18:26, and junior Sam Cowan placed 37th in 18:42.

“I am pleased with the effort and results from this race,” Coach Tim Bayliss said. “We are getting better with every race, and I am excited about the improvement these athletes are showing.”

The Lady Lion cross country team will do a team time trial this Saturday morning, but will be pushing their limits at the Weimar Invitational on Sept 25.
(Courtesy of Tim Bayliss)