The Montgomery County girls cross country team got a pair of new runners when it competed at the North Callaway Invitational on Oct. 3.

They were sophomores Olivia Shaw and Claire Cobb, who also play for the volleyball team.
“I am so grateful that they showed up,” junior Lyric Ford said.

Shaw and Cobb were strong additions for the Wildcats in the 10-team meet. They not only helped MCHS field a full team for the first time this season, but they also lifted the Wildcats to a team championship.

MCHS won the girls title with 38 points. North Callaway, which was last year’s champion, was second with 56.

The Wildcats had six runners place in the top 25 under rainy conditions. Ford was the individual champion for the third year in a row after winning the race with a 19:01. Sophomore Malia Rodgers was second with a 19:19, junior Destiny Shaw came in seventh with a 22:17, junior Carie Schroer came up one place short of a medal as she finished 16th with a 24:09, Olivia Shaw placed 19th with a 24:43 and Cobb was 23rd with a 25:26.

“We’ve been trying to get at least five girls to show up for a meet,” Ford said. “With all of us showing up today, especially when it’s raining, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. We all performed really well. I am super proud of everybody.”

Also, senior Dawson McCown won his first race of the season after coming out on top in the boys race with a 16:35. He placed second in three other meets this season.

“It was nice to win,” McCown said. “I was trying to break 16 today, but it didn’t happen. I was a little off. I think it was the second mile where I got off track. I have more races to do it, so I just have to stay focused and keep working at it.”

McCown captured his first North Callaway championship. He said he enjoys running at the meet, which is held at the North Callaway High School campus.

“It’s a good course,” McCown said. “There’s a little rolling hill that will give you a lot of speed if you use it right. I really enjoy racing against everybody. I love going up the little hills and going down them. I like it because it’s a lot more flat than what we usually see."

The MCHS boys finished fourth in the team standings with 90 points. Besides McCown, freshman Jadrian Thurman was the other runner to earn a medal, placing eighth with an 18:25.

Sophomore Jacer Brower, who also plays for the football team, finished 20th with a 20:09 in his first race of the season.

“He’s not used to it because he’s used to football practice,” McCown said. “He seemed like he enjoyed it at the end of it, but not the rain, that’s for sure.”

Ford won her first race of the season and her seventh in her career with the victory at North Callaway. The junior said she wasn’t worried about the rainy conditions.

“I love running in the rain,” Ford said.

Ford, Rodgers and McCown have earned medals in all five meets the Wildcats have competed in this season.

Destiny Shaw picked up her second medal of the season with her seventh-place finish. She finished 28th at the Linn Invitational on Sept. 11.

Thurman also has two medals this season. He placed 12th at the season-opening New Haven Invitational on Sept. 4.

The Wildcats’ next meet will be the Orchard Farm Invitational at 4 p.m. on Oct. 7.