Midlands teams, runners dominate at SCISA cross country championships

It was a good day for Midlands runners at the SC Independent Association state cross country meet on Saturday.

The Heathwood boys and girls repeated as SCISA 4A champions while Northside Christian girls won the SCISA 3A championship. It was the Crusaders’ first team championship in any sport.

Ben Lippen’s Jais Ward won the 4A girls race while Heathwood’s Matthew Ward won the 4A boys race. It was Ward’s second individual championship. Richard Winn’s Hayden Brahnam won the Class A girls race.

For Heathwood, it was the second straight year both teams swept the team titles. The Highlander girls have now won three straight championships.

Five Heathwood runners placed in the top seven finishers. Mary Frances Iseman (18:27) was second and Annabel Martin (18:35) was third. Cate Leppard (18:57), Madelyn Gomez (18:57) and Dorothy Hutchins (19:05) were fifth through seventh. Gomez had won the last three individual championships.

Cardinal Newman’s Caroline Timmons (18:49) was fourth. Hammond’s Megan Joye (19:54) was 11th. The Skyhawks finished second, Cardinal Newman fourth and Ben Lippen fifth.

Black led five Heathwood runners in the top 10. Dean Brook (16:39) was fifth, Jack Willcox (16:47) was seventh and Austin Herndon (17:00) was 10th.

Ben Lippen’s Luke McCrudden (16:23) was second and Jonathan Rios (16:31) was third. The Falcons finished second.

Hammond was fifth.

Northside Christian had three runners in the top five on its way to the 3A championship. Kendall Murray (20:41) was third, Madison Gause (20:42) fourth and Jennifer Gause (20:48) fifth.

The Northside boys finished eighth.

Brahnam’s first-place finish helped the Richard Winn girls to a third-place finish. Teammate Lillian Trapp finished 11th.