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FCHS' Sandlin wins state title, WHHS' Pulliam finishes 11th
FCHS' Sandlin wins state title, WHHS' Pulliam finishes 11th
November 15, 2009
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Class 2A State Cross Country Championships
LEXINGTON - Robert Sandlin was worried about his hamstring, which he pulled about three weeks ago. He was worried about Bell County’s James Brown, who was ranked ahead of him among Class 2A runners.
Turned out Sandlin didn’t have anything to worry about.
The Franklin County senior won the boys Class 2A race at the state cross country meet Saturday, cruising to victory with a time of 16 minutes, 22.73 seconds over the 5,000-meter course at the Kentucky Horse Park.
“I felt a lot of pressure,” said Sandlin, who spent most of this season as the top-ranked runner in Class 2A. “I’m more relieved than thrilled. If it had been an upset I’d have been more thrilled. I’m glad to come away with the win.”
Sandlin’s nearest competitor Saturday was runner-up Ryan Thurman of Calloway County, who finished nearly 32 seconds behind Sandlin with a time of 16:54.30.
Sandlin was ranked No. 1 in the state all season until the Meet of Champions on Halloween. In that race, which was run six days after Sandlin pulled his hamstring, Brown defeated Sandlin.
With the win Brown moved to the top of the rankings in the final rankings of the season, and Sandlin was second. Brown finished Saturday’s race in 19th place.
“I was thinking when they were running that first mile what a huge weight he had on his shoulders,” FCHS coach Kelly Lewis said about Sandlin, “because we had that expectation of him coming in first.
“When he came by that first mile in five (minutes) flat,” she said, “that was amazing.”
Sandlin started the race running in a group but soon separated from the pack.
“In the first half-mile I was kind of mixed up in a group, and I wasn’t in front,” he said. “In the next half-mile I went out in front with Daniel (Thurston). He was leading.”
Thurston, a senior from Western Hills, was running despite suffering from a stress fracture. He led for about the first mile but pulled out of the race after a mile when his ankle began to bother him.
Sandlin soon had a 10-second lead and was able to build on that as the race went on.
“After going out that fast you can’t slow down,” he said. “If you slow down with a lead like that people are confident they can catch up with you.
“You either have to keep that lead or not win.”
So Sandlin changed his usual strategy and kept the large lead.
“I was pushing myself the first two miles,” he said. “In most races I start pushing myself in the third mile, but today I didn’t because I knew I had a huge lead.”
Which was something he didn’t expect.
“I thought it would be a lot closer,” Sandlin said.
“I knew I had to keep pushing the hills,” he added, “and after running at the Archives last week I knew I could push hills better than anyone else here. I knew I had to push the hills because if I didn’t people would catch up since they’re pushing each other.”
Sandlin also won the Forcht Group of Kentucky Outstanding Sportsmanship Award for Class 2A male runners.
Franklin County’s girls, led by Jenny Hellmann’s 52nd place finish, were 12th in the Class 2A race.
The Flyers placed 19th as a team with a score of 467. FCHS senior Jordan Parris started the race but had to drop out because of an ankle injury. South Oldham won the team title with 81 points.
WHHS senior Brandon Pulliam finished 11th in the race with a time of 17:18.02.
“I’m pretty happy,” Pulliam said. “I almost got in the top 10 and that’s what I was going for, but I’ll take 11th any day. I got to state and made it to the podium. It’s exciting.
“I started off good and stayed in the top 10 most of the race,” he added, “but I kind of died off a little at the end. It was a pretty good race for me.”
The top 15 finishers in each race receive medals, and the top four teams receive trophies.
Thurston, who finished 30th at state as a freshman, seventh as a sophomore and third last season as a junior, ran last week’s regional meet despite the stress fracture and qualified for state as an individual.
Some people were telling him he shouldn’t run at state, but Thurston wasn’t taking their advice.
“That wasn’t going to happen,” he said, “my senior year and not run at state. People were saying I shouldn’t run at regionals. I made it here, and I ran the first mile really strong. I hadn’t lost everything with this injury.”
But when his ankle started bothering him, Thurston decided to drop out of the race, keeping his sights on his senior track season and college career.
“It doesn’t bother me,” he said about not finishing the race. “I’m perfectly content with my decision, and I think it was a smart one.”
Sandlin also competed in four straight state meets, progressing from 112th his freshman year to 22nd as a sophomore, eighth as a junior and champion as a senior.
“It was an exciting race to watch because he was so far in front of everybody,” Lewis said. “I’m really happy for him. That was awesome.”
The results for the Class 2A races are listed below, with all the team scores, the top five finishers of each race, and all the local competitors. Both races covered 5,000 meters.
Boys
Team scores
1. South Oldham 81
2. Covington Catholic 90
3. North Oldham 95
4. Pendleton Co. 121
5. Ashland Blazer 172
6. Webster Co. 224
7. Lexington Catholic 290
8. Edmonson Co. 293
9. Christ. Acad. of Lou. 296
10. Boyle Co. 322
11. Highlands 323
12. Elizabethtown 363
13. Hopkins Co. Central 392
14. West Jessamine 393
15. Knox Central 398
16. Union Co. 411
17. Logan Co. 423
18. Breckinridge Co. 447
19. Franklin Co. 467
20. Bell Co. 515
21. Russell 521
22. Harlan Co. 528
23. Letcher Co. Central 528
24. Bullitt East 557
25. Casey Co. 622
26. Mason Co. 627
27. Powell Co. 791
28. Franklin-Simpson 824
Individuals
1. Robert Sandlin (Franklin Co.) 16:22.73, 2. Ryan Thurman (Calloway Co.) 16:54.30, 3. Jon Renneker (Ashland Blazer) 16:58.02, 4. Stephen Schwab (Cov. Catholic) 17:01.76, 5. Risik Lado (Central) 17:04.20, 11. Brandon Pulliam (WH) 17:18.02, 77. Jason Shaw (FC) 18:46.86, 149. Anthony Adkins (FC) 19:55.66, 164. Will Van Arsdall (FC) 20:29.38, 178. Parker Smith (FC) 20:46.40, 210. Matthew Wyatt (FC) 22:03.31, Jordan Parris (FC) did not finish, Daniel Thurston (WH) did not finish.
Girls
Team scores
1. South Oldham 41
2. North Oldham 106
3. Christ. Acad. of Lou. 107
4. Lloyd Memorial 193
5. Presentation 202
6. Boyle Co. 223
7. Union Co. 256
8. Mason Co. 270
9. Bell Co. 298
10. Breckinridge Co. 315
11. Elizabethtown 318
12. Franklin Co. 322
13. Webster Co. 363
14. Russell 376
15. Letcher Co. Central 385
16. Allen Co.-Scottsville 393
17. Rockcastle Co. 399
18. East Carter 437
19. Harlan Co. 438
20. Highlands 455
21. West Jessamine 460
22. Calloway Co. 485
23. Logan Co. 548
24. Johnson Central 643
Individuals
1. Jenna Rogers (Christian Academy of Louisville) 19:28.12, 2. Elisha Overpeck (Lloyd Memorial) 20:00.13, 3. Jessie Murner (South Oldham) 20:06.77, 4. Krisston Senter (Allen Co.) 20:20.14, 5. Grace Whitworth (South Oldham) 20:21.01, 52. Jenny Hellmann (FC) 22:20.23, 64. Brooke Stigers (FC) 22:45.61, 66. Shelby Wacker (FC) 22:48.43, 70. Kristen Just (FC) 22:55.63, 154. Marci Beason (FC) 25:45.88, 191. Katelyn Chalk (FC) 29:23.59, 192. Dana Jarboe (FC) 30:05.41.
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| » | Class 2A State Cross Country Championships |
LEXINGTON - Robert Sandlin was worried about his hamstring, which he pulled about three weeks ago. He was worried about Bell County’s James Brown, who was ranked ahead of him among Class 2A runners.
Turned out Sandlin didn’t have anything to worry about.
The Franklin County senior won the boys Class 2A race at the state cross country meet Saturday, cruising to victory with a time of 16 minutes, 22.73 seconds over the 5,000-meter course at the Kentucky Horse Park.
“I felt a lot of pressure,” said Sandlin, who spent most of this season as the top-ranked runner in Class 2A. “I’m more relieved than thrilled. If it had been an upset I’d have been more thrilled. I’m glad to come away with the win.”
Sandlin’s nearest competitor Saturday was runner-up Ryan Thurman of Calloway County, who finished nearly 32 seconds behind Sandlin with a time of 16:54.30.
Sandlin was ranked No. 1 in the state all season until the Meet of Champions on Halloween. In that race, which was run six days after Sandlin pulled his hamstring, Brown defeated Sandlin.
With the win Brown moved to the top of the rankings in the final rankings of the season, and Sandlin was second. Brown finished Saturday’s race in 19th place.
“I was thinking when they were running that first mile what a huge weight he had on his shoulders,” FCHS coach Kelly Lewis said about Sandlin, “because we had that expectation of him coming in first.
“When he came by that first mile in five (minutes) flat,” she said, “that was amazing.”
Sandlin started the race running in a group but soon separated from the pack.
“In the first half-mile I was kind of mixed up in a group, and I wasn’t in front,” he said. “In the next half-mile I went out in front with Daniel (Thurston). He was leading.”
Thurston, a senior from Western Hills, was running despite suffering from a stress fracture. He led for about the first mile but pulled out of the race after a mile when his ankle began to bother him.
Sandlin soon had a 10-second lead and was able to build on that as the race went on.
“After going out that fast you can’t slow down,” he said. “If you slow down with a lead like that people are confident they can catch up with you.
“You either have to keep that lead or not win.”
So Sandlin changed his usual strategy and kept the large lead.
“I was pushing myself the first two miles,” he said. “In most races I start pushing myself in the third mile, but today I didn’t because I knew I had a huge lead.”
Which was something he didn’t expect.
“I thought it would be a lot closer,” Sandlin said.
“I knew I had to keep pushing the hills,” he added, “and after running at the Archives last week I knew I could push hills better than anyone else here. I knew I had to push the hills because if I didn’t people would catch up since they’re pushing each other.”
Sandlin also won the Forcht Group of Kentucky Outstanding Sportsmanship Award for Class 2A male runners.
Franklin County’s girls, led by Jenny Hellmann’s 52nd place finish, were 12th in the Class 2A race.
The Flyers placed 19th as a team with a score of 467. FCHS senior Jordan Parris started the race but had to drop out because of an ankle injury. South Oldham won the team title with 81 points.
WHHS senior Brandon Pulliam finished 11th in the race with a time of 17:18.02.
“I’m pretty happy,” Pulliam said. “I almost got in the top 10 and that’s what I was going for, but I’ll take 11th any day. I got to state and made it to the podium. It’s exciting.
“I started off good and stayed in the top 10 most of the race,” he added, “but I kind of died off a little at the end. It was a pretty good race for me.”
The top 15 finishers in each race receive medals, and the top four teams receive trophies.
Thurston, who finished 30th at state as a freshman, seventh as a sophomore and third last season as a junior, ran last week’s regional meet despite the stress fracture and qualified for state as an individual.
Some people were telling him he shouldn’t run at state, but Thurston wasn’t taking their advice.
“That wasn’t going to happen,” he said, “my senior year and not run at state. People were saying I shouldn’t run at regionals. I made it here, and I ran the first mile really strong. I hadn’t lost everything with this injury.”
But when his ankle started bothering him, Thurston decided to drop out of the race, keeping his sights on his senior track season and college career.
“It doesn’t bother me,” he said about not finishing the race. “I’m perfectly content with my decision, and I think it was a smart one.”
Sandlin also competed in four straight state meets, progressing from 112th his freshman year to 22nd as a sophomore, eighth as a junior and champion as a senior.
“It was an exciting race to watch because he was so far in front of everybody,” Lewis said. “I’m really happy for him. That was awesome.”
The results for the Class 2A races are listed below, with all the team scores, the top five finishers of each race, and all the local competitors. Both races covered 5,000 meters.
Boys
Team scores
1. South Oldham 81
2. Covington Catholic 90
3. North Oldham 95
4. Pendleton Co. 121
5. Ashland Blazer 172
6. Webster Co. 224
7. Lexington Catholic 290
8. Edmonson Co. 293
9. Christ. Acad. of Lou. 296
10. Boyle Co. 322
11. Highlands 323
12. Elizabethtown 363
13. Hopkins Co. Central 392
14. West Jessamine 393
15. Knox Central 398
16. Union Co. 411
17. Logan Co. 423
18. Breckinridge Co. 447
19. Franklin Co. 467
20. Bell Co. 515
21. Russell 521
22. Harlan Co. 528
23. Letcher Co. Central 528
24. Bullitt East 557
25. Casey Co. 622
26. Mason Co. 627
27. Powell Co. 791
28. Franklin-Simpson 824
Individuals
1. Robert Sandlin (Franklin Co.) 16:22.73, 2. Ryan Thurman (Calloway Co.) 16:54.30, 3. Jon Renneker (Ashland Blazer) 16:58.02, 4. Stephen Schwab (Cov. Catholic) 17:01.76, 5. Risik Lado (Central) 17:04.20, 11. Brandon Pulliam (WH) 17:18.02, 77. Jason Shaw (FC) 18:46.86, 149. Anthony Adkins (FC) 19:55.66, 164. Will Van Arsdall (FC) 20:29.38, 178. Parker Smith (FC) 20:46.40, 210. Matthew Wyatt (FC) 22:03.31, Jordan Parris (FC) did not finish, Daniel Thurston (WH) did not finish.
Girls
Team scores
1. South Oldham 41
2. North Oldham 106
3. Christ. Acad. of Lou. 107
4. Lloyd Memorial 193
5. Presentation 202
6. Boyle Co. 223
7. Union Co. 256
8. Mason Co. 270
9. Bell Co. 298
10. Breckinridge Co. 315
11. Elizabethtown 318
12. Franklin Co. 322
13. Webster Co. 363
14. Russell 376
15. Letcher Co. Central 385
16. Allen Co.-Scottsville 393
17. Rockcastle Co. 399
18. East Carter 437
19. Harlan Co. 438
20. Highlands 455
21. West Jessamine 460
22. Calloway Co. 485
23. Logan Co. 548
24. Johnson Central 643
Individuals
1. Jenna Rogers (Christian Academy of Louisville) 19:28.12, 2. Elisha Overpeck (Lloyd Memorial) 20:00.13, 3. Jessie Murner (South Oldham) 20:06.77, 4. Krisston Senter (Allen Co.) 20:20.14, 5. Grace Whitworth (South Oldham) 20:21.01, 52. Jenny Hellmann (FC) 22:20.23, 64. Brooke Stigers (FC) 22:45.61, 66. Shelby Wacker (FC) 22:48.43, 70. Kristen Just (FC) 22:55.63, 154. Marci Beason (FC) 25:45.88, 191. Katelyn Chalk (FC) 29:23.59, 192. Dana Jarboe (FC) 30:05.41.
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