USD 377

2016 ACCHS Tigers Cross Country

The 2016 season came to an end on the Leonardville Golf Course in Leonardville, KS on Saturday, October 22. Our high school team ran their last race of the year at the regional meet.

Victoria Caplinger finished 16th, Erin Hamilton 36th, Madison Hetherington 61st, and Karina Johnson 62nd. All four girls ran close to their best times of the year.

For the boys, Marcus Hetherinton led the team with 74th place, followed by Colton Scholz in 81st, and Jacob Wood 87th. The boys were also within seconds of their best times.

It was a good year for everyone, with a lot of growth. The athletes worked hard all season and should be proud of their efforts.

The Big 7 League Cross Country Championship was October 13 at the Sabetha Country Club. The weather was perfect for running. Nearly every Tiger runner set a new personal record time.

In the girls race Victoria Caplinger medalled with 9th place, followed by Erin Hamilton in 20th, Madison Hetherington 44th, and Karina Johnson 50th. The boys ran in the JV division and each made a huge improvement over their previous race. Marcus Hetherington was 9th, Colton Scholz 22nd, and Jacob Wood 29th.

The Sabetha Invitational was October 6, with high school races finishing just before a thunderstorm rolled in. Unfortunately the junior high was  unable to race because of the weather. This would have been their last race of the year.

This meet had a lot of high level teams competing. Our girls ran first, with Victoria Caplinger finishing 36th, Erin Hamilton 49th, and Karina Johnson 97th. Erin and Karina had their best times of the year.

All three boys ran in the JV race, and they each finished with their best times this year. Marcus Hetherington was 30th, Colton Scholz 46th, and Jacob Wood 60th.

The junior high had a good year, and it was disappointing they were unable to run at Sabetha. They showed a lot of progress through the year, and kept a good attitude throughout the season. Our junior high team this year was made up of 7th graders Austin Acheson, Jaron Chew, Keegan Lott, and Lane Mullins, plus 8th grader Xhander Gilliland.

The Horton Invitational was September 29 at the Horton Country Club. Victoria Caplinger and Erin Hamilton each medaled with 11th and 27th places. Madison Hetherington finished in 43rd and Karina Johnson 50th for the varsity girls. Marcus Hetherington, Colton Scholz, and Jacob Wood ran in the JV boys race with places of 24th, 25th, and 39th.

The junior high ran at the Big 7 League Middle School Championship at Perry-Lecompton on September 29. The 7th grade boys competing were Lane Mullins in 17th, Keegan Lott 20th, Jaron Chew 22nd, and Austin Acheson 28th. Xhander Gilliland was 12th in the 8th grade boys race.

It was a hot day to run at the Nemaha Central Invitational on September 22. The weather slowed down the times, but we had several runners medal.

For the 7th grade boys, Jeron Chew and Keegan Lott medaled with finishes of 4th and 5th place respectively. Lane Mullins and Austin Acheson barely missed medals with 6th and 7th place. Xhander Gilliland was also close to medaling with a 7th place finish. In the varsity girls race, Victoria Caplinger was 5th and Erin Hamilton 18th to bring home medals. Madison Hetherington came in 31st and Karina Johnson 35th. Marcus Hetherington, Colton Scholz, and Jacob Wood ran in the varsity boys race, finishing in 52nd, 55th, and 64th.

The Hiawatha Invitational on Thursday, September 15 has been cancelled. They have been unable to find an open date, so it will not be rescheduled.

Our Jr High runners had a great performance at the Jackson Heights Invitational on September 12. Two athletes just missed out on medals, and everyone ran well on the challenging course. In the 8th Grade Xhander Gilliland finished in 8th place with a much faster pace than he has shown in previous races. The 7th Graders had a good showing with Jaron Chew’s 10th place leading the way, while Keegan Lott finished 15th, Lane Mullins 16th, and Austin Acheson 27th.

Steady improvement is the goal this year, and most runners showed that at the Holton Invitational on September 8. There were several personal records on the day. For the high school girls we had Victoria Caplinger 12th, Erin Hamilton 34th, Madison Hetherington 51st, and Karina Johnson 64th. Marcus Hetherington was our only runner able to compete for the high school boys, and he placed 48thin the JV race. Xhander Gilliland was 17th for the 8th grade boys. In the 7th grade race Jaron Chew was 23rd, Lane Mullins 29th, Keegan Lott 35th, and Austin Acheson 38th.

Our first race is in the books and our new runners were finally able to see what a race is like. The Jeff West Invitational was a big meet with lots of runners. The humid conditions and wet ground were a challenge for everyone. For the high school girls, Victoria Caplinger finished in 12th, Erin Hamilton 49th, Madison Hetherington 56th, and Karina Johnson 68th. On the boys side we had Marcus Hetherington in 84th, Colton Scholz in 90th, and Jacob Wood 121st.

At the Junior High level Xhander Gilliland was 44th in the 8th grade boys race. For 7th grade boys Keegan Lott finished 58th, Lane Mullins 60th, and Austin Acheson 68th.