Cayden Cline had comfortably been Christian County’s number two runner for most of the cross country season behind teammate Michael Webb.
At Saturday’s region meet in Owensboro, Cline put together his best race of the year and finished in 15th place to pace the Colonel’s effort at Yellow Creek Park. Both Cline and Webb qualified for next weekend’s KHSAA Class 3A State Cross Country Meet, which makes a return to the Kentucky Horse Park after a three-year hiatus.
Cline, an eighth grader, covered the 3.1-mile course in 17:49, which was a personal best by nine seconds.
Webb, who has been bothered by nagging injuries over the past three weeks, returns to the state meet after finishing in 18th place in 18:06.
The Colonels finished in sixth place as a team with 156 points. They were 15 points behind Henderson County who totaled 141 points. Cross country points are earned by taking the sum of the top five finishing places on each team. Only the top five teams Saturday qualified for the state meet.
Rax Taggart finished in 36th place in 19:14, knocking 27 seconds off his season-best time. Joseph Parker crossed the line in 42nd place in 19:21 – a season-best by 14 seconds.
Wyatt Fleming returned from an injury to gut out a 45th-place finish in 19:26. Aiden Knepper was 54th (20:11) and Hector Munoz was 55th (20:17). Knepper’s time was a season-best.
Muhlenberg County junior Bryce Revo won the race in 16:06, which was 14 seconds faster than Apollo’s Emmitt Brock. Madisonville’s Dakota Evans was third in 16:32.
–Photos by Ashlyn Brown
