Jay High Cross Country Teams Host 18 Teams
Over 400 runners and even more spectators filled the Jay City Park on Saturday morning at the J.D. Mac Cross Country Invitational. The Jay High Cross Country teams played host to 18 high schools from the Pensacola Bay area. “It was like a cross country jubilee”, said Jay Boys Cross Country Head Coach Matthew Dobson. “We had fast finishes and a great venue to bring in all these folks to our small town!”
Jay Girls Cross Country Coach Teresa Dobson commented, “We couldn’t coordinate this sports event without the great help of parents and community members. We are especially thankful for the Town of Jay letting us host the event at the park.”
The boys race was won by, Austin Epstein, from Navarre High School with a time of 16:34. In the girls’ race, Maddie Fulmer, from Fort Walton Beach High School won with a time of 18:57 in the 5K.
The Jay Boys were led by Austin Gonzales who ran a 21:04 and finished in 77th. Jimmie Ates and Ryan Wyland competed in the J.V. race for Jay and ran 23:48 and 32:09. “We have a very small team this year, but the passion and enthusiasm is as great as anybody. We hope to grow the team and have more student-athletes join us next year” said boys coach Matthew Dobson.
The Lady Royals were led by Hannah Whitlock who ran 22:29 and finished 18th. “Hannah lowered her best time by almost a minute and we’re encouraged by that. Now, it’s time that we start working hard to improve in all aspects of our competition. All the girls ran hard today, but we’ve got a lot of room for improvement” said girls coach Teresa Dobson.
Other Lady Royals who ran were Jillian Thornton (24:41), Grace Gillman (25:23), Laryn Kimmons (26:04), Katie Stanford (29:35), Carly Sanders (30:38), RayAnn Free (32:36).
Our finishers for the girl’s J.V. race were Abby Hendricks (29:02) and Emily Hatfield (31:03).
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