The Jungle Run did not disappoint, providing athletes with the chance to post numerous PR's and top-ranked times.
Week 3 allowed a few teams to solidify themselves as legitimate contenders, and also gave us a better idea of which individuals are poised to have great seasons. Though obviously there is still a lot of running still to go, the picture is starting to take shape, and we can get an idea of who the big players are going to be if everything goes well during the season. There is really no such thing as a bad performance this early, but teams can impress or exceed expectations. Take a look at the highlights below, and decide for yourself if any of the top team or individual performances have raised your eyebrows.
Philip Hall (Terry Sanford) won the Championship Boys race in 15:30, pulling away over the final mile from Grant Rodgers (Heritage, 15:48) and Nik Kreiling (Jordan, 15:53). Collin Loy (Southern Alamance) and Chris Kelly (Pinecrest) also broke 16 minutes.
Hana Ratcliffe (Durham School of the Arts) had to close out her win with a strong final 200 on the track, clocking 18:58 to edge Tori Churchill (Grimsley) by one second. Arden Vessie (Corinth Holders) and Blair Ramsey (Grimsley) barely missed breaking 19 minutes, while Hannah Zenker (Franklin Academy) rounded out the top 5.
The Pinecrest boys won 76-107 over South View, with RJ Reynolds in third at 130. The Patriots' win is even more impressive given that they were disappointed with their performance at this same meet last year; they are definitely a top-5 team in 4A at this point of the season.
Not to be outdone, the Pinecrest girls defeated a very good Millbrook team, 74-92, to continue their impressive start to the season. With their top 4 separated by only 18 seconds, this team will give their 4A East rivals fits this year.
Neil Clark (Pinecrest) ran 17:18 to win the Invitational Boys race (the lower varsity race), which makes him the 6th man for his team. Freshman Eboni Roberson (Southeast Raleigh) won the Invitational Girls race in 21:42.
Pinecrest's boys also won the Invitational race, showing strong depth. New Hanover took the Invitational Girls' title, holding off the Millbrook; both teams were running their second seven, and showing excellent overall team strength.
Swansboro's girls looked good in their first invitational as a 3A team, finishing 3rd in the Invitational race. The only non-4A team that looked better was Croatan, whose girls might be a sleeper for the top 5 in 2A this year.
Zach Boone (Mitchell) won the boys' race, running 16:50 over the very challenging course.
Asheville teammates Naomi Cartier and Anne Worth both ran 21:45 to finish 1-2 in the girls' race.
Daniel Boone (TN) took the boys' team trophy, with Asheville only 7 points behind (this Asheville boys' team might be a contender in 3A).
T. C. Roberson's grils executed a solid pack strategy to win 26-54 over Asheville.
Vance Invitational
Coverage
Photo Album by pvan537
Highlights
Nate Nash (Hopewell) won the boys' race in 19:30.
Tasha Regan (Hopewell) won the girls' race in 22:43.
The Jungle Run did not disappoint, providing athletes with the chance to post numerous PR's and top-ranked times.
Week 3 allowed a few teams to solidify themselves as legitimate contenders, and also gave us a better idea of which individuals are poised to have great seasons. Though obviously there is still a lot of running still to go, the picture is starting to take shape, and we can get an idea of who the big players are going to be if everything goes well during the season. There is really no such thing as a bad performance this early, but teams can impress or exceed expectations. Take a look at the highlights below, and decide for yourself if any of the top team or individual performances have raised your eyebrows.
