Pleasanton, Jayhawk runners compete at league meet

Pleasanton runner Myles Alvares crosses the finish line at the Three Rivers League cross country meet at Central Heights. Alvarez finished fourth in the race. (Photos by Billy Roudybush / Journal contributor)

By Billy Roudybush

Journal contributor

On Thursday, Oct. 16, runners from two Linn County schools went to Central Heights High School for the Three Rivers League cross country meet. Jayhawk-Linn had seventh- and eighth-graders as well as high school athletes.

Pleasanton had seventh-graders and high schoolers. It was the end of the season for the middle-grade runners, but just the next race before regionals for the high schoolers.

On the 2-mile course for the seventh-graders, Knox Rohr placed second for the Jayhawk boys and Hudson Dir placed 12th for Pleasanton. For the girls, Emma Brake earned seventh for Jayhawk while Victoria Meik and Cadence Guilfoyle earned eighth and ninth place respectively for Pleasanton.

Next came the eighth^-graders, again on a 2-mile course. In the end Jayhawk boys had several winners. Sawyer Champlin won fourth place, then came several in a row. From ninth through 12th places were William Brake, Noah Slinkard, Kolbe Schneider, and Jack Clark. The eighth-grade girls earned seventh and ninth with Darbi Brake and Natalie Cazares.

***The third-place Three Rivers League girls cross country team includes, from left, Jayhawks, Gabby Brake, Lily Meyer, Adeline Randall, Haelie Wallace and Allie Thomas.***

Then it was the high school girls’ turn for a 5K run in the heat and wind of Kansas. The Jayhawk girls made a great effort, and the team earned an overall third place in the meet.

Lily Meyer came in eighth with a time of 23:01.66. Right behind her pushing hard was Adeline Randall, who came in ninth with a time of 23:10.36. Not far back, Gabby Brake was 12th, Allie Thomas was 13th, and Haelie Wallace placed 16th.

Pleasanton sophomore Baileigh Lister also competed in the race and came in 28th.

Finally, it was the boys’ turn to run the hot windy course. As is his style, Myles Alvarez from Pleasanton, headed out with the lead pack of runners.

***Members of the Jayhawk boys cross cou–***

The Jayhawk boys team was not letting everyone get away. The Jayhawk team led the second group of runners. The Jayhawk team spread out a little as the race progressed but were staying toward the front.

At the finish line, Alvarez came in fourth with a time of 17:53.39.

For the Jayhawk team, the Shillito brothers had a race with junior Louis coming in eighth and right behind him his brother Martin, a freshman, was ninth. Louis had a time of 18:28.82 while Martin had a time of 18:29.66.

The placing of other members of the team included Kollyn Malinowski at 14th, Daniel Brake 17th, Landon Higgins was 18th, Jaiden Mayhugh was 10th, and James Spitzenberger was 46th.

Like the girls, the boys placed third in team standings.