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AMERICUS – Southland Academy Freshman XC Athlete Brianna Brown turned in her first top 10 finish of the season by crossing the finish line in 10^th place at the annual Southland Raider Run held on Saturday, October 1 at Southland Academy (SAR).

Brown finished the race in a time of 24:53.90 and barely edged out Freshman Emily Bullough of Lincoln (FL), who finished 11^th in a time of 24:54.00. Junior Emma Burnett of Valwood won the individual girls’ championship in a time of 21:08.20 and her two VS teammates, Junior Ella Burnett (21:15.00) and Freshman Ella Blease (22:25.90), finished in second and third place respectively to give the Lady Valiants the sweep on the medal podium. As a result, VS won the girls’ team championship as well.

This was Brown’s first top 10 finish of the season. Her previous best finish this year came at the Sherwood Invitational back on August 20 where she finished in 11^th place in a time of 28:38.9. At the Lee County Invitational Meet on Saturday, September 10, Brown finished 17^th out of 152 competitors in a time of 26:05.90. A week later at the Deerfield-Windsor Invitational, Brown finished 40^th out of 141 competitors in a time of 24:40.43 to earn her best time of the season so far and finished 20^th out of 68 competitors in a time of 26:25.90 at the TA Panther Prowl Meet in Chula, GA on Saturday, September 24.

Brown’s SAR teammate, Freshman Reese Graft, finished 25^th out of 85 competitors at the Southland Raider Run in a time of 26:02.40.

The next local runner to cross the finish line was Schley County Sophomore Emily Wilder. Wilder finished 29^th out of 85 competitors in a time of 26:30.80. Her SCHS teammate, Sophomore Kaleigh Johnson, finished in 51^st place in a time of 30:40.30.

Other local female runners who turned in solid performances are as follows:

• Sophomore Abby Kirkland (Schley County): 32:25.70
• Junior Kaylee Taylor (Schley County): 32:39.30
• Sophomore Madison Hilliard (Schley County): 34:05.90
• Junior Jayla Harris (Sumter County): 34:11.10
• Junior Sarah Renfroe (Schley County): 35:02.20
• Freshman Mikayla Jackson (Schley County): 35:42.40
• Sophomore Damia Battle (Sumter County): 38:12.30

As a team, the Schley County Lady Wildcats finished in fifth place with 122 points.

In boys’ action, SAR Freshman William Kinney was the first local runner to cross the finish line. Kinney finished 33^rd out of 130 competitors in a time of 20:44.40. Schley County Junior Hudson Barker was the next local athlete to cross. Barker finished 61^st out of 130 competitors in a time of 22:20.90.

According to Barker, the cooler weather made a big difference for him compared to his times in previous meets. “It was a little bit more chilly this time around so it was easier to run in the cold weather and I managed to pick up my pace, like, more from other races,” Barker said. “I want to keep on getting PRs (Personal Records) and hopefully, get underneath the 20 minute mark.”

SAR Sophomore Matteson Debaise finished right behind Barker in a time of 22:21.20. Freshman Matthew Hauser of Lincoln (FL) won the boys’ individual title and finished in a time of 17:24.60. Lincoln went on to win the boys’ team championship as well.

Junior Ethan Bliss of Schley County was the next local athlete to cross and he finished in 83^rd place in a time of 24:06.70. Bliss’s SCHS teammate, Freshman Declan Ekkel, finished two spots behind Bliss in a time of 24:07.90. Schley County Sophomore London Lee finished in a time of 24:43.10 and Junior Kyler Walton finished in a time of 29:04.30.

In the team standings, the Wildcats finished in 10^th place with 262 points. Lincoln High School from Tallahassee, FL won the boys’ team championship with 22 points and Peach County was the runner-up with 89. In the sport of XC (Cross Country), the team goal is to score the fewest points possible.