MURPHY – Kendall Toineeta may be a freshman, but she’s running like a seasoned veteran. She won her fourth cross country race of the season at a meet in Murphy on Wednesday, Sept. 28 and led her team to its third straight victory in a row.
Kendall Toineeta (far right) won her fourth cross country race of the season in leading the Lady Braves to their third meet win in a row at Murphy on Wednesday, Sept. 28. (DENISE WALKINGSTICK/One Feather contributor photos)
Toineeta finished first with a time of 21:07.84 – beating the second place runner by 32 seconds. Ansley Vardeman, Towns County, took 2nd with a time of 21:40.05 followed by Katie Bowden, Hayesville, in 3rd with a time of 22:29.93.
Shayna Ledford and Avery Mintz, both of Cherokee, took 5th and 6th places respectively with times of 22:38.78 and 22:48.81.
Other Cherokee runners included: Jordyn Thompson, 13th, 23:43.68; Alea Tisho, 30th, 25:44.24; Deija Burgess, 37th, 26:47.05; Alexis Maney, 43rd, 28:22.34; Priscilla Squirrell, 44th, 28:38.52; and Miranda Smith, 46th, 28:55.49.
The Lady Braves won the team competition with a score of 53. They were followed by Hayesville 66, Towns County 71, Robbinsville 91, Murphy 93, and Union County 106. Four schools did not place scores.
Cherokee's E.J. Carroll (left), Gerald Mahan and Levi Swearengin (far right) finished 29th, 30th and 34th respectively.
On the boy’s side, Dylan Johnson, Hayesville, took 1st place with a time of 16:53.27. He was followed by Frank Cline, Robbinsville, 17:07.34 and Robert Vinson, Hayesville, 17:28.43.
Cherokee had three runners in the field including: E.J. Carroll, 29th, 20:57.78; Gerald Mahan, 30th, 21:04.08 and Levi Swearengin, 34th, 21:14.99.
Murphy’s boys won the team competition with a score of 53. They were followed by Robbinsville 69, Hayesville 76, Union County 78, Swain 116, Towns County 132 and Hiwassee Dam 240. Three schools, including Cherokee, did not post scores.
Cherokee plays host to several upcoming meets including the Smoky Mountain Conference Championship on Wednesday, Oct. 19 and the Regional Cross Country Meet on Saturday, Oct. 29.
Middle School
Shadrick Wolfe finished 6th for the CMS boys with a time of 13:18.43. Kurt McClure, Hayesville, won the middle school boys division with a time of 11:54.58. He was followed by teammate Adam Urbanick with a time of 12:19.52 and Phinehas Little, Swain, with a time of 13:03.74.
Other Cherokee runners included: Brock Powell, 11th, 13:37.18; Isiah Davis, 20th, 14:19.78; Gabe Crowe, 49th, 16:52.74; and Levi Swearengin, 54th, 17:23.78.
Swain Middle and Murphy Middle tied for the team competition with scores of 60 each. They were followed by Hayesville 66, Robbinsville 102, Hiwassee Dam 102, Cherokee 140 and Towns County 161. Two schools did not post scores.
Devona Reed, the CMS girls’ lone runner on the day, finished 7th with a time of 14:49.96. Shawnda Martin, Robbinsville, took 1st with a time of 12:45.46. She was followed by Kati Estep, Hiwassee Dam, with a time of 14:08.74 and teammate Ashlyn Waldroup with a time of 14:20.24.
Robbinsville won the team competition with a score of 26. They were followed by Murphy 74, Hayesville 80, Swain 87, Towns County 105, and Hiwassee Dam 118. Three schools, including Cherokee, did not post scores.
The Middle School Conference Championship is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 10 at Hiwassee Dam.
– One Feather staff report by Scott McKie B.P.
