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Kennett cross country win first at Van Buren Invitational with near perfect score
VAN BUREN, Mo. - Kennett’s head cross country coach Don Franklin and his runners went to Van Buren on Wednesday, Sep. 25 for the Van Buren Scenic River Run.
The Indians came out on top with a first place team victory.
All of Kennett’s scoring runners were in the top 10 at the conclusion of the race for a near perfect score.
“We won the large school division,” Franklin said. “There weren't a bunch of schools in our division but we did run well overall. Avery improved her pr (personal record) by two minutes and every kid medaled.”
They were led by freshman Crafton Binkard. He placed second on the 5k course with a finishing time of 19:25. This was his third fastest time of the season so far after completing four races.
Sophomore Kade Anderson finished right behind Binkard with a 19:37 5k time. This was also Anderson’s third fastest time of the season and his fourth sub 20 5k in five races.
Sophomore Dylan Yates placed fifth overall with a 5k time of 19:49. This performance was a season best for Yates and the fourth fastest time for the Indians this season.
Sophomore Gilberto Ramos was the next runner to cross the finish line. He ran a 20:35 for 6th place in his third fastest race of the season while Sophomore Gabriel Checkett rounded out Kennett’s score with a 9th place finish in a time of 22:58.
With all five scoring runners in the top 10, along with their sixth and seventh runners pushing in the top 15, the Indians had 22 points in this race which is only seven points off a perfect score of 15 points.
This helped lead the Indians to their first team victory of the season on the boys side.
Along with those scoring positions, Rigoberto Mendoza helped push the Indians with a 10th place finish. He ran his second fastest 5k of the season, finishing the race in 23:09.
The last pusher, or the sixth and seventh runners, for Kennett was found in William Leeker. He was only four seconds off his personal best with a time of 24:55 and a top 15 performance.
On the girls side, Avery Payne had a personal record. As the lone female for the Indians, she finished 7th in the varsity girls race.
The team saw a lot of improvement from their scoring runners, which are the top five finishers.
Franklin was proud of his runners and their effort.
“My top four ran well,” Franklin said. “Leeker and Rigoberto ran solid, it was good for them after seeing all those huge races where you have to be 17:30 or better to medal.”
Despite having fewer teams at this meet, Franklin was happy with a win to show how his runners have been improving through the course of this season.
He said receiving a trophy and some medals was a good testament to their hard work.
“Overall, this was our best team race of the year,”Franklin said. “They were so excited, they have worked really hard and it’s nice to have something to show for it.”
The runners will have a full week off of competitions before traveling to Cape Girardeau to run at the Notre Dame Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 5.