LAURINBURG — Nearly 120 runners from five schools met at the James L. Morgan Recreation Complex on Wednesday to compete in the Sandhills Athletic Conference championship cross country meet.
Richmond Senior High School sent 10 total runners, six girls and four boys, to compete in the 3.2-mile race. The Raiders didn’t have enough runners to qualify for the team standings, but the Lady Raiders took fourth place with 89 points.
Pacing the girls’ team was senior Maylyn Wallace, who took third overall with a new personal record time of 22:07.60, nearly an entire second off her previous best time from the Hare & Hounds Invitational.
The top 14 runners from both races were recognized as members of the All-Sandhills Athletic Conference team, and Wallace’s finish helped her earn her second career All-SAC spot in as many years.
Wallace was also the lone Richmond runner, male or female, to individually qualify for the NCHSAA regional race.
Senior Maylyn Wallace (56) competes in the SAC championship on Wednesday. (Deon Cranford/The Richmond Observer)
Helping the Lady Raiders secure fourth place were freshman Mariana Mendez (17th, 24:10.40), freshman Ella Munn (21st, 25:29.60), sophomore Michala Nechvilova (23rd, 26:05.90) and sophomore Kaleigh Cloninger (25th, 26:34.30).
Also running for the Richmond girls was freshman Alivia Webb, whose 27th place mark and time of 26:57.60 helped offset runners from Union Pines and Hoke County high schools.
Mendez’s time was also a new career best, taking 2.60 seconds off her previous record from the fourth regular-season meet.
Richmond’s four boys take off from the starting line in Laurinburg. (Deon Cranford/The Richmond Observer)
The Raiders saw three of their four runners cross the finish line, starting with junior Christian Sanchez, who set a new personal record. He ran the 5K in 20:39.50, shaving 36.5 seconds off his mark, and finished 27th overall.
Junior Kodie Simmons (49th, 22:36.10) and freshman Adam Estridge (57th, 26:48.00) also competed in the SAC championship. Sophomore Cain Hunsucker did not finish the race due to injury, according to coach Teddy Moseley.
Pinecrest High School’s boys’ (18 points) and girls’ (32 points) teams each took first overall.
The Richmond Observer will update this article once the details for the regional race for Wallace are announced.
