Tyynismaa, Strand Finish Strong in the 20^th Jesse Owens Classic to Claim AHSAA X-C Spotlight

MONTGOMERY – AHSAA runners Ethan Strand of Vestavia Hills High School and  Amaris Tyynismaa of Montgomery Catholic High School were the top finishers from the state at the prestigious 20^th annual Jesse Owens Classic cross country championships held at Oakville Indian Mounds and Museum course last weekend to share the AHSAA Cross Country Spotlight this week. The course will host the AHSAA state championships in November.
Strand, a sophomore, finished the 5,000-meter race in 15:39.90 to cross second behind senior Davis Bove of Centennial (TN). Bove won the title with a 15:32.10 time.
Defending meet champ Will Stone of Homewood was third. The Patriots senior clocked 15:52.15, 30 seconds off his 2017 winning time of 15:22.32. Scottsboro sophomore Hayden Judge was fourth overall at 15:53.43 in the field of 256 runners from around the Southeast. Huntsville, coached by Graciela Bryant, won the team title with 143 points, and Scottsboro was second at 193.
Defending champion Tyynismaa crossed the finish line in third place in the Gold Division featured race. Tyynismaa, possibly the most notable girls’ cross country runner in AHSAA history, clocked 18:00.93, which was 10 seconds off her winning time of 17:50.51 in 2017.
Junior Sasha Neglia of Dobyns-Bennett (TN) and sophomore Landri Wilcox of Cookeville (TN) finished 1-2 with times of 17:18.60 and 17:44.77, respectively. Both times fell well short of Tyynismaa’s course record 17:03 run in the AHSAA State Championships as an eighth grader in 2014.
Thompson senior McKenzie Hogue and Homewood junior Lainey Phelps crossed in fifth and sixth place with times of 18:10.05 and 18:20.74 in the field of 219 runners. Auburn juniors Samantha Rogers and Harper McGowan came in 11^th and 12^th to help the Tigers of Coach Naomi Bergh win the overall team title with 88 points. Homewood was fifth with 205 in the field of 31 teams from across the Southeast.
Fort Payne junior Maggie Crow crossed the finish line in the Silver Division race third with a time of 19:59.26 to help the Wildcats win the Silver team crown with 74 points. Forty-one teams and 286 runners competed.
Faith Academy sophomore Bailey Lansdown clocked 19:55.80 to win the Bronze Race title over runner-up Kathy Hammond of LAMP, who crossed at 19:56.32 in the field of 301 competitors. Scottsboro won the Bronze team title with 47 points and Lawrence County was second with 104.
In the boys’ Silver division race, Helena sophomore Brady Barton finished seventh with a 16:57.44 time in the field of 357 runners. Pearl (MS) won the team championship with 93 points and James Clemens was second with 145. Beauregard seniorJonathan Jenkins captured the Bronze race with a 16:32.44 time. Briarwood Christian sophomore Trent Malloy was second at 16:39.95 in the field of 478 runners. Saint John Paul II Catholic was the team champion with 72 points and Montgomery Catholic was second with 86.

In other cross country highlights reported by Xpress Timing and Alabama Runners.com:

GIRLS
MEGHAN SCHWARZE, ARAB: The senior clocked 19:58.93 to take first place in the 5A/7A division race at the Lake Guntersville Invitational meet. Teammate and eighth grader Grace Goslin was second clocking 21:98.422 as the Lady Knights scored 15 points to take the dominating team win. Albertville was second with 60 points.
ELIZABETH SLONE BUTLER, DAR: The Patriots’ sophomore runner beat the field of 92 runners with a time of 20:56.60 to claim the Class 1A/4A division championship of the Hay on the Run Invitational at Fairview Town Park. Ashville sophomore Meghan McCarthy was second clocking 21:14.31. St. Bernard won the team title with 45 points, and Hatton was second with 83.
BROOKE DuPLANTIER, FAIRHOPE: Was the top AHSAA runner to cross the finish line at the T.R. Miller Challenge at Brewton finishing third behind Gulf Breeze (FL) runner Lauren Jorgensen and West Florida’s Skylar Grant with a time of 22:16.00. Jorgensen won with a 19:54.55 time. UMS-Wright and Fairhope finished deadlocked in first place at 100 points each, with the Bulldogs taking first place in the tie breaker.
EVIE BELL, OAK MOUNTAIN: Clocked 13:36.78 in the Boonie Invitational two-mile event at Alabama’s Veterans Park to beat the field. The Eagles won the team title as well with 17 points. Mountain Brook was second with 44.

BOYS
SAM MOULTRIE, GUNTERSVILLE: The junior clocked 16:02.84 to win the Class 5A/7A division of Lake Guntersville Invitational meet that featured a strong field of 107 runners. Dustyn Lewis of Grissom was second with a 16:25.33 finish to lead the Tigers (33 points) to the team championship. Albertville had 52 to finish second.
KYLE SAYLOR, DAR: Won the 1A/4A division race at the Lake Guntersville Invitational hosted by Guntersville High School with a winning time of 18:01.71. Collin Mayfield of Geraldine was second at 18:05.95 in the field of 82 participants. DAR also won the team championship posting 31 points. Brindlee Mountain was second with 74.
CALEB GUTHERY, ST. BERNARD: The junior clocked 17:12.94 to nip senior Aaron Brown of Hanceville (17:20.49) to win the Hay on the Run Invitational at Fairview Town Park.  The race had 141 runners. Host Fairview won the team title with 72 points. St. Bernard was second with 78.
JOSEPH PERRY, UMS-WRIGHT: The freshman clocked 17:39.59 to finish first in field of 232 runners at the T.R. Miller Challenge held at the Brewton Cross Country Course. The Bulldogs also won the team competition with 98 points.
HANSON McGOWAN, OAK MOUNTAIN: Ran the two-mile race distance at the Boonie Invitational held at Veterans Park in Alabaster in 10:51.53 to claim first place. Oak Mountain also won team competition with 15 points. Mountain Brook was second with 51.

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