BHS XC 2023 Report

 

5A State Championships, Oaklawn Park, Hot Springs, Nov. 2

The Pioneers closed their cross country season at the 5A State Championships with a passing of the torch from senior leaders to young guns.

Freshman Alan Aguilar (18:42) nipped senior Ethan Byler (18:43) at the finish, both running their second-fastest times ever. Byler has been the team leader all year but ran at Oaklawn Park on limited practice in recent weeks nursing a strain. Aguilar had just moved up from junior high for the final three races of the season.

Junior Ethan Insell (19:04) closed strong 20 seconds behind them. Rounding out the scoring five on the infield of the horse track in Hot Springs, junior Isaac Wehrung (21:40) kicked steps ahead of senior Alexandre Tenace (21:42). Wehrung rejoined the team for the final three races after finishing his tennis season at the state championships.

Freshmen Reece Wixson (24:21), Parker Rodgers (24:45), and Carsten Byers (26:19) give a hint of a solid core for coming years. Many of the group are multi-sport athletes, with Byler, Insell and Rodgers on the defending state champion swim team, Wehrung in tennis, Wixson and Byers in wrestling. Most will be out for track in the spring. Tenace leads the state champ Quiz Bowl team.

Tenace and Byler began with the Pioneers in 2020 and each improved every year as they grew. Byler won the Tuckerman Bulldogs River Run in his best at 18:06 Oct. 10, and Tenace ran his best at the Valley View Blazer Invitational at 20:30 Oct. 17. Both also have won local 5K road races in recent years.

For the Lady Pioneers, the group has come ever closer together around seniors Clara Nikkel and Kinley Dorris. Nikkel came into the season with the fastest times, but junior Kaylee Montgomery has been able to use her basketball fast break ability and downhill glide to advantage in the finishing kick. They have finished one-two through much of the season.

Montgomery led a tight pack in the championship at Oaklawn in her personal best 24:45, with freshman Kyra Logan closing fast at 24:49 in her first senior high 5K up from junior high district contest the week before. Nikkel stuck with the pack at 24:54 and classmate Dorris ran her second-fastest ever and a strong season’s best at 24:59. Freshman Lydia Montgomery, Kaylee’s sister, rounded out the scoring five at 26:25, her own best yet in her third race up from junior high.

Sophomore Taylor Bishop (30:59) improved more than a minute from the previous year. Junior Kennedy Johnson (32:51) ran at state for the first time after missing the closing weeks of the 2022 season.

Collectively, the group was the fastest in years with four runners under 25:00 and all scorers under 26:30. The last time four Lady Pioneers finished under 25:00 came in 2018.

The ladies are multi-talents as well, with basketball, volleyball, Quiz Bowl, cheer/dance, Beta Club, and band among their endeavors.

We bid farewell to the seniors and look ahead with the strong younger classes. For the record, Dorris is the veteran of the group through 49 races since 2018. Tenace has run 32 since 2020, Nikkel 28 since 2021, and Byler 24 since 2020.

RESULTS: https://ar.milesplit.com/meets/567940-arkansas-state-cross-country-championships-2023/results

5A East Conference Championships, Joe Mack Campbell Park, Oct. 24

Several Pioneers raced to Top 10 finishes Tuesday in the 5A East cross country championships in Jonesboro.

The best individual performances were turned in by junior Kaylee Montgomery, who set her personal record for the third time in four meets, finishing 10th in senior high girls in 24:50.3, and seventh-grader Kendall Johnson, who repeated his victory from the previous week in the junior high boys race at the same venue.

The 6A Central and 5A East conferences held their senior high championships Tuesday at Joe Mack Campbell Park, site of the Valley View Blazer Invitational the previous week. The 5A conference also held junior high championships Tuesday.

The senior girls raced first and Pioneers Montgomery, freshman sister Lydia Montgomery, and seniors Clara Nikkel and Kinley Dorris ran well midpack through the first mile. Conditions took a toll on most competitors as the race wore on, with higher heat and humidity than the week before, plus dust from work on one of the park soccer fields creating heavy air.

But Kaylee Montgomery continued her improvement winding down her second season, closing strongly over the last quarter mile as she chased down two Valley View Blazers to earn 10th place. Dorris also ran away from a couple of challengers late to take 18th place in 26:36. Nikkel (28:08, 28th) and Lydia Montgomery (28:16, 29th) soldiered on together through the thick air. Sophomore Taylor Bishop rounded out the scoring five in 33:48. Valley View claimed the team title and the Lady Pioneers finished fourth.

The senior boys race was a tight battle between Valley View and Searcy at the front, with nearly a dozen runners in the top 15 throughout. Pioneer senior Ethan Byler worked his way through the remaining pack in the closing mile, outsprinting two rivals as he finished in 18:51. Junior Ethan Insell battled through another bunch to finish clear in 19:40. Freshman Alan Aguilar pushed through the conditions to finish in 20:31, with senior Alexandre Tenace at 21:25 and junior Isaac Wehrung at 22:54.

Searcy received the championship trophy after several of the top Valley View finishers were disqualified for running off course beside a tree. Byler brought home the sixth place medal and Insell finished just off the medals in 11th. The Pioneers took third as a team.

The junior girls sped to two medal finishes, with eighth-grader Darcy Nikkel in seventh at 11:51 and ninth-grader Kyra Logan registering her best ever in ninth place at 11:57. Eighth-grader Genevieve Campbell ran 14:35.

In junior boys, Johnson went to the front at the start just as he had the previous Tuesday, but Greene County Tech’s Tyler Bedgood and Valley View freshman Asa Graves responded to take the lead around the baseball fields at the half-mile mark. As Johnson kept pace in front, fellow seventh-grader Hayes Yarnell moved through the top 20 with freshman Reece Wixson and seventh-grader Paxton Steel also battling in that pack. Johnson surged back into the lead in the last quarter mile and finished in 9:17 pulling away from a late fight-back from Valley View’s Graves.

Yarnell finished just out of the medals in 11th at 10:21. Wixson closed hard in 10:56 for 16th and Steel took 18th in 11:10. Freshmen Parker Rodgers (11:53, 22nd) and Carsten Byers (13:05, 35th) brought the team a third-place finish behind Valley View and Green County Tech.

NEXT UP: 5A State Championships, Oaklawn Park, Thursday, Nov. 2, with senior girls scheduled to race first at 11:30, boys at 12:15.

Arvest Valley View Blazers Invitational, Joe Mack Campbell Park, Oct. 17

Pioneers young and old hit their stride Tuesday at the Arvest Valley View Blazers Invitational cross country meet. Seventh-grader Kendall Johnson won the junior boys race, eighth-grader Darcy Nikkel brought home a medal and T-shirt for eighth place in junior girls, freshman Alan Aguilar led the senior boys in 27th place in his first 5K, and junior Kaylee Montgomery and senior Alexandre Tenace ran new personal records.

The fast, flat courses at Joe Mack Campbell Park in Jonesboro proved especially to the liking of Johnson, a strong quarter-mile runner on the youth track circuit but new to cross country. He went to the lead across the park soccer field and won wire to wire in 9:01, with Tuckerman’s Zeke Church chasing all the way for second in 9:07. The two reversed their duel from last week at the Tuckerman Bulldog River Run, where Church finished five seconds ahead as both chased Aguilar in his junior finale.

Seventh-graders Hayes Yarnell (14th, 9:57) and Paxton Steel (28th, 10:44) worked through the pack of 109 runners to finish within seconds of their PRs from last week. Freshmen Reece Wixson (31st, 10:47), Parker Rodgers (33rd, 11:00), and Carsten Byers (71st, 12:45) helped the team to third place behind host Valley View and Sloan-Hendrix. Seventeen schools took part and 11 fielded scoring teams of five runners.

Darcy Nikkel brought home the only other Pioneer top 10 medal with her best-ever 11:28 time, a fraction ahead of last week’s River Run. Freshman teammate Kyra Logan continues to finish faster each race, passing half a dozen rivals in the closing quarter mile to take 17th in 12:08. Eighth-grader Genevieve Campbell came in 40th of 92 in 13:26.

Sloan-Hendrix freshman Alexis Davis took the individual crown in 10:19, and Valley View had five in the top 11 for the team championship.
Senior Clara Nikkel ran her season’s best for 27th in 24:48 with junior Kaylee Montgomery closing the gap late in 29th at 25:02. Senior Kinley Dorris pushed through the mid-pack in the last mile to nab 29th in 26:16. Freshman Lydia Montgomery held on just behind in 41st at 26:30. Sophomore Taylor Bishop logged a 30-second PR in 29:39.

Jonesboro freshman Lauren Thompson went wire to wire to win easily in 18:46, while host Valley View put five runners in the first 16 for the team title.

Freshman Aguilar moved up from his junior high first place last week in the River Run to lead the Pioneer boys with senior Ethan Byler on precautionary rest. Aguilar raced steadily in the mid-pack as Jonesboro, Valley View, Conway and Searcy runners packed the top 25. He finished 27th in 18:24 in his first-ever 5K. Junior Ethan Insell kept in striking distance throughout in his season’s best 18:44 for 31st in the field of 83. Senior Alexandre Tenace registered his third consecutive PR in 20:30. Junior Isaac Wehrung held up well at 22:01 in his first race of the season after tennis state championship matches.

Max Henry of Conway (16:32) came out ahead in a step-for-step duel with Jonesboro’s Hudson Copeland (16:35), but Jonesboro topped Conway for the team title.

RESULTS: https://ar.milesplit.com/meets/548022-arvest-bank-blazer-invitational-2023/results.
NEXT UP: Back at Joe Mack Campbell Park, Tuesday, Oct. 24, for the 5A East district championships, with senior girls scheduled to race first at 2:30.

Tuckerman Bulldogs River Run, Jacksonport State Park, Oct. 10

The Lady Pioneers won the senior girls title at the Tuckerman Bulldogs River Run, while the boys took first and third individual places in both junior and senior races. Eight runners earned top 15 medals and eight ran their personal record times on the flat, fast riverside course at Jacksonport State Park.

The 98 junior girls from 20 schools ran first and Darcy Nikkel earned a medal in 11th in a PR of 11:29. Eighth-grade classmate Genevieve Campbell also ran her PR at 13:15.

In the junior boys race, Zeke Church of host Tuckerman took the early lead just a few steps ahead of Pioneer freshman Alan Aguilar and seventh-grade teammate Kendall Johnson. Aguilar took control before the halfway point and sped away to win in 8:32, fastest junior Pioneer time since 2014, with Church fighting behind in 8:45 and Johnson claiming third in 8:50 (Batesville’s second fastest time since 2014).

Hayes Yarnell was third-fastest seventh-grader in the field, 17th in his PR of 9:42. Freshman Reece Wixson, 27th in 10:14, and seventh-grader Paxton Steel, 38th in 10:32, missed PRs by a few seconds.

The first and third weren’t quite enough as the Junior Pioneers finished runner-up to Cedar Ridge in the team standings. The Timberwolves put five runners in the top 20 of 112 finishers.

Junior Kaylee Montgomery kicked home over the last 200 yards to finish sixth in a 20-second personal best at 24:50 in senior girls. She was just a few strides ahead of senior Clara Nikkel, closing strong in her season’s best 24:51. Senior Kinley Dorris also medalled in 11th in 26:09. Montgomery’s sister, Lydia, a ninth-grader, moved up from junior girls to give the Lady Pioneers a scoring five. She made a strong debut in 27:09, one place out of a medal in 16th. Sophomore Taylor Bishop completed the scoring five in a two-minute PR at 30:16.

Batesville’s first four in the top 16 of 33 made the difference for the team title over Hillcrest with four in the top 20, and Bishop finished ahead of Hillcrest’s fifth runner to assure the win.

The senior boys waged a four-man battle, as Ethan Byler and Ethan Insell raced stride for stride with familiar rival Ryan Barber of Cedar Ridge and Brandon Baldridge of Sloan-Hendrix. The lead pack in the field of 63 held together through the first lap of the two-lap course until Byler pushed the pace at the second lap turnaround to sap Barber’s closing speed. The senior’s tactic paid off in a 50-second PR at 18:06, ahead of his junior rival in 18:09. Ethan Insell pushed home in third in 18:50. Batesville’s other senior, Alexandre Tenace, also PR’d in 20:55, his first time under 21:00.

RESULTS: https://ar.milesplit.com/meets/527395-tuckerman-bulldogs-river-run-2023/results and also with finish-line video links at https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/119096.
NEXT UP: Valley View’s Arvest Bank Blazer Invitational at Joe Mack Campbell Park, Tuesday, Oct. 17. Junior girls start at 3:15 p.m.

Cave City Caveman Open, Oct. 3

Pioneers set personal records and brought home medals, T-shirts, and team plaques racing competitors from 36 schools Tuesday at the annual Cave City Caveman Open cross country meet.

Alan Aguilar and Kendall Johnson had the top performances, finishing second and third in the Junior high boys 2.5K, leading the squad to finish runner-up to Heber Springs among 18 scoring teams.

Seniors Ethan Byler and Alexandre Tenace ran their best ever with Byler grabbing a top 10 medal for eighth in senior boys.

Junior girls ran first on the mowed grass and woodland trail course, with Erin Akins of Mountain View and Harding Academy’s Micaiah White separating themselves from the pack early. Lady Pioneer eighth-grader Darcy Nikkel won a T-shirt for 23rd place in 11:59. Freshman Kyra Logan dropped more than a minute from her time in her second race with the team, finishing 37th in 12:19. Classmate Lydia Montgomery suffered in the musty wood trail, but fought through to 58th place in 13:06, matching her time the previous week despite duress. Eighth-grader Genevieve Campbell finished in 14:52, 106th of 192.

The junior boys race was a battle for second as Tuckerman’s Zeke Church (first, 9:00) sped to the front and ran alone ahead of a pack of five or six trying to keep close. Freshman Aguilar and seventh-grader Johnson stuck with the pursuit pack until Aguilar made a push in the steady climb into the woods near the mile mark. Johnson followed his more experienced teammate and made his own surge on the downhill exit from the woods and used his sprinter’s speed on the closing straight. As Aguilar closed the gap to finish behind Church in 9:15, Johnson closed on his teammate to finish a step behind in 9:16.

Seventh-grader Hayes Yarnell got a T-shirt for 24th in 10:13. Classmate Paxton Steel finished 34th in 10:34. Freshman Reece Wixson surged through a pack to round out the scoring five in 10:50, 41st overall. Parker Rodgers ran 12:41 for 112th of 196. The team competition was tight, with Heber Springs (81 points) edging Batesville (85) and Cedar Ridge (88). All had five runners in the top 35 scorers.

Paragould junior Starlyn Edwards dominated the senior girls race, winning easily in 20:46, well ahead of Mountain View’s Akins sisters. Senior Ellie Akins ran second in 21:30, and sophomore Emma Akins third in 21:51. Batesville junior Kaylee Montgomery (24th, 25:21) just missed her fastest ever despite the deceptively hilly course. She earned a T-shirt chasing down a couple of rivals with a strong finish three minutes faster than her debute race at the same course last year. Senior Clara Nikkel (27th, 25:46) also claimed a prize T-shirt. Senior Kinley Dorris finished 37th of 77 in 27:25 and sophomore Taylor Griffin ran a steady 34:19.

Searcy had five finishers in the top 30 of 77 to win the team title by a point over Quitman, 36-37.

Wade Harris of Heber Springs ran away with the senior boys title in 17:36, with Searcy teammates Nick Sherwood and Chase Kemper together at 17:58 and 17:59 in second and third. Searcy put five runners in the top 15 (27 points) to take the team title over Heber Springs (65).

In the trailing pack, Batesville’s Ethan Byler and Ethan Insell ran in the top 20 for much of the first mile before Byler used his hill strength to power through the pack into eighth by the finish in 18:58, his PR. Insell finished 15th in 19:47. Senior Alexandre Tenace also set his PR at 21:26 in 39th place of 137.

RESULTS: https://ar.milesplit.com/meets/510503-5th-annual-caveman-open-2023/results.
NEXT UP: Tuckerman Bulldogs River Run at Jacksonport State Park, Tuesday, Oct. 10. Junior girls start at 4 p.m.

Sloan-Hendrix River Run, Old Davidsonville, Sept. 26

Pioneers brought home plenty of medals from Tuesday’s Sloan-Hendrix River Run at Old Davidsonville State Park. Each of the four races featured Batesville, Cave City or Southside runners in the top five, as well as multiple medalists in the top 20.

The best of the many outstanding performances came in the first race of the meet, as Batesville freshman Alan Aguilar took his second consecutive individual title. He and seventh-grade teammate Kendall Johnson went to the top five fast at the uphill start. Aguilar moved into second place behind Mountain Home’s Wave Simmons halfway through the challenging 2.5K (1.55 mile) course. Johnson hung close in sixth. Aguilar chased down Simmons in a tight battle over the closing 300-yard gradual climb, finishing a second ahead in 9:21.08. Johnson held on for sixth place in 9:41.15, also his second consecutive finish as the top seventh grader.

The third junior Pioneer, Hayes Yarnell, earned his first race medal in 17th place in 10:27.40, as the third-fastest seventh grader. Classmate Paxton Steel continues to improve, finishing 37th in 11:24.64. Freshman Reece Wixson served as fifth scorer helping the junior Pioneers to third place (94 points) behind champions Mountain Home (80) and Valley View (82). Fellow freshman Carsten Byers chopped 45 seconds from his time on the flat, fast Sulphur Rock course two weeks ago, improving to 12:31.77 despite the hills and tough trails. Freshman Parker Rodgers rounded out the squad in 12:43.21 for 66th place in the field of 145.

In the next race, Cave City and Southside junior girls claimed six of the top 15 places, with Cave City ninth-grader Aubree Milligan in third at 11:25.36, holding off Southside freshman Breanna Lopez, fourth in 11:27.12. Cavewomen Kaci Arnold and Hadley Landers gave chase side-by side on the finishing stretch. Eighth-grader Arnold took fifth by a nose (11:30.95) over seventh-grader Landers (11:31.33). Southside finished fourth of 14 teams. Cave City and Batesville did not have five scorers for a team standing.

Eighth-grader Darcy Nikkel led the young Lady Pioneers in 12:50.06, just missing a medal at 21st place in the field of 145. Freshman Lydia Montgomery fought just a few seconds behind to 27th in 13:06.22, with classmate Kyra Logan showing well in her Pioneer debut, 37th in 13:35.91. Eighth-grader Genevieve Campbell finished 66th in 15:09.71.

Searcy dominated the senior boys 5K with six of the top 10 finishers but Pioneer senior Ethan Byler started strong with their top five. He dogged the leaders throughout the woodland climbs, gradually pulling away from all but sophomore winner Nick Sherwood and junior Chase Kemper, to finish third in 19:33.29. He was a minute faster than his time at the same course last year. Pioneer junior Ethan Insell stuck with the top 10 pack to finish eighth in 20:28.31, also faster than a year ago. Senior Alexandre Tenace finished 32nd of 76 runners, in 23:11.56 and nearly a minute faster than his 2022 race.

Southside’s junior exchange students took home top 20 medals, with Paolo Mathieu 18th in 21:38.27 and Filippo Magistrelli right beside him in 19th at 21:39.33. Cave City junior Jude Doughty chased them all the way to the line, claiming the final medal an eyelash behind in 20th at 21:39.54. Southside took third in the team standings behind Searcy and Mountain Home. Batesville’s three finishers were not enough for a team score.

Cave City sophomore Britney Mahan closed the day as Batesville’s Aguilar started it, with a strong 23:18.73 for second place in the senior girls 5K behind Paragould’s outstanding junior Starlyn Edwards (21:30.83). Mahan ran in third for much of the race but caught Searcy’s Ava Sciba with three quarters of a mile to go, and pushed the gap to 40 seconds on the single-track woodland hill section and finishing stretch. Pioneer junior Kaylee Montgomery worked her way through the top 10 using her smooth downhill stride to advantage as she fought to sixth in 26:21.18, just a few seconds behind rivals in fourth and fifth. Senior Clara Nikkel pushed through breathing issues for the 17th-place medal in 28:05.20. Fellow senior Kinley Dorris just missed out on a medal in 22nd at 29:46.93, with sophomore Taylor Bishop 39th of 50 finishers in 34:36.19.

Searcy fielded the only girls scoring team of five runners.

RESULTS: https://ar.milesplit.com/meets/525473-sloan-hendrix-river-run-2023/results.
NEXT UP: Cave City Caveman Open, Tuesday, Oct. 3. Junior girls start at 3:30 p.m.

Melbourne Bearkatz Invitational, Sept. 5

Freshman Alan Aguilar and senior Ethan Byler again had the top medal finishes Tuesday for the Pioneers at the Melbourne Bearkatz Invitational. Both moved up the ranks from the first week’s results at Lyon College, Aguilar to third in junior boys and Byler to 12th in senior boys.

Aguilar and seventh-grade teammate Kendall Johnson went to the front pack of the junior boys race early for the Pioneers. Aguilar was third just past the half mile, and Johnson with the group in 15th to 18th as they headed into the twisting woodland hill section.

Aguilar fought off a late challenge to hold third in 9:50 behind winner Roth Williamson of Maumelle Charter (9:10). Johnson stuck around a medal position out of the woods in the last half mile on the snaking grass lanes, but just missed at 16th at 10:32, a step behind fastest seventh-grader Thomas Rouse of Heber Springs.

Hayes Yarnell finished 26th as the third-fastest seventh-grader in 11:14. Freshman Parker Rodgers ran 12:14 for 48th. Seventh-grader Paxton Steel (54th, 12:22) nipped freshman teammate Reece Wixson (55th, 12:23), reversing their finish from last week at the Lyon Invitational. Freshman Carsten Byers ran 15:53 in his second race.

Freshman Dawson Engles led Cedar Ridge to the runner-up trophy behind Maumelle Charter, claiming the 12th place medal in 10:21. The Timberwolves finished with five runners in the top 30 of the 177 racers. The Pioneers finished fifth.

The junior girls raced first on the day, with eighth-grader Darcy Nikkel 41st among the 168 young ladies, leading the Lady Pioneers in 14:16. Freshman Lydia Montgomery stayed close at 49th in 14:36 and eighth-grade newcomer Genevieve Campbell came in 84th in 15:42.

The senior girls race featured a battle at the front as Pangburn 10th-grader Jaesha Smith crossed in 21:47, just ahead of senior Ellie Akins of Mountain View in 21:48. The Lady Pioneers matched their strong pack performance of the previous week, with senior Clara Nikkel (19th, 27:27), junior Kaylee Montgomery (20th, 27:29), and senior Kinley Dorris (21st, 27:38) tightly bunched in the field of 81. Junior Kennedy Johnson (36:01), senior Tamera Deutsch (37:43), and sophomore Taylor Bishop (38:47) rounded out the squad.

Quitman took the team title, as in the junior race with five runners in the top 15 scoring positions among 81 finishers.

Former Pioneer Ryan Barber, now a junior at Cedar Ridge, finished in 19:09, eighth of 99 senior boys. Wade Harris of Heber Springs won in 17:49. Pioneer senior Ethan Byler took 12th in 19:43. Just outside medal spots, Batesville junior Ethan Insell (19th, 20:56) edged Southside junior Paolo Mathieu by less than half a second. Batesville senior Alexandre Tenace (36th, 22:46) hung on as Southside junior Kenneth Morgan (37th, 22:48) closed in.

Searcy took home team honors, with Southside fourth of nine scoring teams.

Full results are at ar.milesplit.com and RunSignup.com

RESULTS: https://ar.milesplit.com/meets/550032-melbourne-bearkatz-invitational-2023/results. Also https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/152405#resultSetId-401332.
NEXT UP: Pioneer Invitational, Sept. 12. Junior boys start at 4 p.m.

Lyon Invitational, Aug. 29

The young Pioneers hit the trail with high energy as first-timers did well Tuesday at the Lyon Invitational.

Freshman Alan Aguilar got the season going with an eighth place finish in a field of 213 in the junior boys race. He joins cross country after leading the half-mile crew in junior high spring track, running 9:44 in his debut at the longer 1.5 mile distance. Less than 30 seconds behind at 10:22 in 19th place, teammate Kendall Johnson was the fastest seventh grader at the meet in his first race at the distance. Fellow seventh graders Hayes Yarnell (59th, 11:18) and Paxton Steel (72nd, 11:38) bracketed freshman Reece Wixson (71st, 11:37), the returning leader of the junior boys the past two years.

Freshman Parker Rodgers dropped 30 seconds from his time at the same course last year in 12:26, and ninth seventh grader Carsten Byers ran well in his debut at 14:27. The team finished sixth with 28 schools entered, 18 with a scoring group of five finishers.

Returning leader Darcy Nikkel, 13:25, dropped a minute from her seventh-grade time last year, finishing 35th among 216 junior ladies. Freshman Lydia Montgomery ran 14:32 for 69th place, and eighth-grader Genevieve Campbell, like Aguilar a newcomer from spring track, finished 91st in 15:13.

The senior boys also had just three finishers, too few for a team score, but all showed what a difference a year makes. Senior Ethan Byler improved by two minutes from last year, running a solid race with a restrained start, passing relentlessly through the pack to finish 19th in 19:57. Fellow senior Alexandre Tenace slashed four minutes off last year’s race, at 21:51 for 41st of 117 finishers. Both were within half a minute of their best ever despite the difficult hilly course. Junior Ethan Insell, last year’s team leader, clipped 30 seconds off the 2022 race, 30th in 20:52.

The senior girls put together a nice pack run, with Batesville finishing as one of only three schools each with three runners in the top 30. Junior Kaylee Montgomery and senior Kinley Dorris ran a few steps apart mile after mile, both making up ground on the downhills and gradually passing returning senior leader Clara Nikkel in the evening heat. Montgomery nipped Dorris at the line, 24th in 26:44.6 to 25th in 26:45.2. Nikkel followed closely in 27th at 26:55. Sophomore Taylor Bishop ran 36:01 in her second time at the high school 5K.

RESULTS: https://ar.milesplit.com/meets/547256-lyon-college-invitational-jhhs-2023/results.
NEXT UP: Melbourne Bearkatz Invitational, Sept. 5. Junior girls start at 4:15 p.m.

Lyon Invitational preview, Aug. 29

The Pioneers are back on the grass Tuesday, Aug. 29, at Lyon College with a mix of veteran leaders, young guns, and fleet newcomers.

Junior Ethan Insell and senior Ethan Byler are the frontrunners, with veterans senior Alexandre Tenace and junior Isaac Wehrung providing solid depth. Promising freshmen Reece Wixson, Parker Rodgers and newcomer Alan Aguilar look to be a solid junior high core capable of moving up for senior high district and state meets. The freshmen are joined by seventh-graders Hayes Yarnell and Paxton Steel with the wheels to make a competitive lineup.

Senior Clara Nikkel leads the ladies along with classmate Kinley Dorris, both building on improvement throughout 2022. Junior Kaylee Montgomery and senior Tamera Deutsch also saw their times drop significantly as the 2022 season wore on. Sophomore Taylor Bishop rounds out the scoring five, with junior multisport athlete Kennedy Johnson adding depth as schedules allow.

Clara’s sister Darcy Nikkel, an eighth-grader, leads the junior girls with Kaylee’s sister, Lydia Montgomery, a ninth-grader not far behind. As with the junior boys, the freshman figures to help the senior high late in season. Eighth-grader Genevieve Campbell moves in from a solid first season of spring track and eighth-grader Roslyn Carmona returns to build on her steady gains from her first year of running.