FARMINGTON -- Cross country is among the athletic programs flourishing at Farmington High School with senior Kolby Gardner emerging as one of the top runners in the 4A classification.
Parents of runners are excited that over the past four years the Cardinal cross country team has started to really grow and take a foothold in the athletic department as an up and coming Farmington sport.
According to Travis Kegans, most of that credit goes to coach Breanna Jones while acknowledging "these kids work really hard."
Like track and field, tennis and wrestling, cross country functions as an individual sport with individual placings contributing to team standings. Farmington runners have consistently placed in the top five places of team standings.
Farmington's girls cross country team placed first among team standings while running a 5K Sept. 7 at the UAFS/Fort Smith Invitational. The varsity boys finished second as a team with Gardner placing first and Pablo Ochoa 10th. Gardner also set the pace winning the Shiloh Saints Invitational Sept. 21.
For the girls, Joelle Tidwell won the UAFS/Fort Smith meet with Macy Reese finishing third and Georgia Richards seventh.
The junior high boys team thus far has won every meet other than the local Chili Pepper races replicating a feat accomplished last season.
The junior high boys and girls ran a one mile course at Fort Smith due to heat advisory. The boys won the team title with Gavin Spurlock placing second; Cody Klotzbuecher, third; Will Hellard, fourth; Landyn Faught, fifth; and Blaine Chambers, seventh.
The junior high girls were also first among team standings with Jordyn Paine coming in first; Addie Kaiser, second; Gabby McBurnett, third; Justine Davidson, fifth; Mary Lauren Bradley, sixth; and Lindsey Scogin, 10th.
At Shiloh, the junior high boys ran a two mile course taking the team trophy with Spurlock third and Klotzbeucher 12th.
The girls captured the Runner-up team trophy led by Paine in seventh place; Kaiser, 12th; and McBurnett, 14th.
Sports on 10/02/2019