Headed to state! Ozark County cross country runners qualify for state meet, Dora earns district championships
Dora Lady Falcons Class 1 District 1 XC champs The Dora High School varsity girls cross country team took first place at the Class 1 District 1 meet held Saturday, Oct. 28 at Cape Girardeau. Isabelle Martin, a freshman, took first place at the meet, finishing in 20:57.23. Five other runners on the team also qualified individually for state. Emma Martin, a junior, took fifth place in 21:39.04. Kara Anderson, a freshman, placed 10th in 22:31.63. Kinley Luna, a freshman, was right behind her in 11th place with a time of 22:45.62. Haley Perkins, also a freshman, placed 20th in 23:39.82 and Chloe Barton, a junior, placed 25th in 24:14.15. Pictured, from left, Kara Anderson, Kayden Jones, Chloe Barton, Emma Martin, Isabelle Martin, Haley Perkins and Kinley Luna.
Ryder Murphy Gainesville High School junior Ryder Murphy placed 12th with a time of 18:44.88 at the Class 2, District 2 cross country meet held Saturday, Oct. 28 at Lamar.
District champion Cade Nold Dora High School junior Cade Nold took first place at the Class 1 District 1 meet held Saturday, Oct. 28 in Cape Girardeau with a time of 17:05.55.
Kaitlyn Kahl Gainesville High School sophomore Kaitlyn Kahl placed sixth with a time of 22:08 at the Class 2 District 2 girls cross county meet held Saturday, Oct. 28 in Lamar.
Daniel Tomlinson qualifiied to compete at the state meet by placing 23rd with a time of 18:50.44 at the Class 1 District 1 meet held Saturday, Oct. 28 in Cape Girardeau.
Archer Luna Gainesville freshman Archer Luna took 23rd place with his time of 19:18.59 at the Class 2 District 2 cross country meet held Saturday, Oct. 28 in Lamar.
District champion Isabelle Martin Dora High School freshman Isabelle Martin took first place at the Class 1 District 1 meet held Saturday, Oct. 28 in Cape Girardeau with a time of 20:57.23.
Joshua Nold Dora High School junior Joshua Nold took eighth place at the Class 1 District 1 meet held Saturday, Oct. 28 in Cape Girardeau with a time of 17:54.76.
Runners from Bakersfield, Dora and Gainesville competed at district cross country meets on Saturday, Oct. 28. Bakersfield and Dora traveled to Cape Girardeau for the Class 1 District 1 meet, and Gainesville went to Lamar for the Class 2 District 2 run.
The top 30 individual runners and the top four teams advance to the state competitions Friday, Nov. 3 in Columbia.
The Dora girls took first place and were named district champions with an average time of 22:18 for the team. They were led by freshman standout Isabelle Martin in first place. In addition, Emma Martin, Kara Anderson, Kinley Luna, Haley Perkins and Chloe Barton individually qualified for state by finishing in the top 30.
Dora junior Cade Nold also came in first place at the meet earning another district championship for the Falcons. Joshua Nold and Daniel Tomlinson qualified individually to compete in the state meet.
Dora is coached by Sheree Nold.
The start of the Class 2 district race was delayed an hour due to lightening. After the delay, Gainesville runners dealt with dropping temps, heavy rain and a muddy course, but GHS coaches said the runners were prepared for the challenge. Three Gainesville student athletes qualified for state: Ryder Murphy, Archer Luna and Kaitlyn Kahl.
Gainesville is coached by Gary Emrick and David Murphy.
The state cross country championship races are Friday, Nov. 3 at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia. Class 1 boys begin at 9 a.m., followed by Class 1 girls at 9:45. Class 2 boys starts at 11:15, followed by Class 2 girls at noon.