Olathe North Invitational
Olathe East sweeps boys and girls team titles. Rebeka Stowe (Olathe Northwest) quick 14:33 4k with Darci Miller (Olathe East), Kristen Gillespie (SM South) also under 15:00; SM South' Jon Sanell 16:52 leads 1-2-3 finish, but O East puts in next seven
9/5/07 Prairie Center Park
by Tony Bozarth
Olathe East dominated the Olathe North Invitational at Prairie Center Park in west Olathe Wednesday, winning all four divisions. The meet was delayed for 45 minutes between the girl's varsity and boy's varsity races by a thunderstorm that dumped over an inch of rain on the course. Once the storm passed, however, conditions were ideal with temps in the low 70's. Due to the drought conditions in Eastern Kansas this summer, most rain simply sucked into the course, giving a nice softness to the turf.
In the strong varsity girl's division, East (the defending 6A state champion, #9 Heartland last year) rebounded from a season opening loss to BVNW (#3 in state last year, HL team-to-watch) and Blue Valley with a much tighter pack, packing all seven runners in the top fifteen to score 35. Olathe Northwest (# 7 in state last year) ran well to finish second with 45 points, with Shawnee Mission South (HL team to watch, # 4 in state polls and last year) third with 74 points. Rebeka Stowe of Olathe Northwest, last year's 6A state runner-up, won the meet with a quick 14:33 over the rolling 4k course that featured many turns and sidehills. Olathe East's Darci Miller was second at 14:46 with a strong late move past Kristin Gillespie (SM South 14:48).
The boy's varsity division featured a classic front-running vs. pack em' up race, as Shawnee Mission South (ranked #2 in the latest state polls) ran 1-2-3 with Jon Sannel (16:52), Jake Taylor (16:55), and Andrew Stevens (17:08). Olathe East (#3 in latest state polls) then packed in the next seven runners within about 30 seconds to score a 30 to 35 win. Olathe Northwest was third with 98 points.
Varsity Boys team scores: Olathe East 30, Shawnee Mission South 36; Olathe Northwest 98; Mill Valley 110; Olathe North 116; Olathe South 133; Kansas City Turner INC; Ottawa INC Varsity Boys Top 15: 1. Jon Sannell SMS 16:52; 2. Jake Taylor SMS 16:55; 3. Andrew Stevens SMS 17:08; 4. Ryan Hocker OE 17:19; 5. Taylor Wofford OE 17:20; 6. Kyle Taitt OE 17:27; 7. Sam Holloway OE 17:40; 8. Cody Frazier OE 17:48; 9. Andrew Sheets OE 17:50; 10. Bryan Gum OE 17:51; 11. Ryan Keene ONW 17:54; 12. Cory Snethen OS 17;55; 13. Austin Bruss SMS 17:59; 14. Tyler Hazen Ottawa 18:09 15. Caleb Smith, MV 18:14.
Varsity Girls Team Scores: Olathe East 35; Olathe Northwest 45; Shawnee Mission South 74; Olathe South 90; Mill Valley 119; Olathe North 153; Kansas City Turner INC, Ottawa INC Varsity Girls Top 15: 1. Rebeka Stowe ONW 14:33; 2. Darci Miller OE 14:46; 3. Kristin Gillespie SMS 14:48; 4. Casey Epps OE 15:03; 5. Katie Mona ONW 15:03; 6. Lindsey Brown SMS 15:21; 7. Valerie Thomas ONW 15:25; 8. Lana Thompson OE 15:26; 9. Alyssa Blakeman OS 15;29; 10. Jena Richardson Ottawa 15:44; 11. Bree Bohaty OE 15;47; 12. Brenda Ellis OE 15;50; 13. Whitney Jorgenson ONW 15;56; 14. Kara Bartels OE 15:57; 15. Jessica Thomas OE 16:01 |
