Bowling Green’s cross country teams competed this past weekend at the 3A Region 2 Championship, and performed just the way they wanted by capturing a region championship.
From starting the season seeded 3rd in the region, a whole 60 points behind the defending champions, South Warren, the boys moved up to position themselves for a chance at the region title.
Junior and co-captain Gabe Wiles said, “It was an all-out team effort from all the guys. We put the school on our backs and got our sports out of this rough stretch.”
First-year coach Philip Russell said, “Since May, we’ve focused on being competitive at the region meet. I was confident going into the meet because of the depth that our team has developed. Placing five runners in the Top-12 showed how far this team has come and how strong we are.”
Following a disappointing 6th place finish at the region meet last season, the team didn’t know where they would place this season. Wiles said, “My co-captain, Mike Kanan, and I established the principle of ‘Bag Season,’ and I feel like it inspired the team to take that next step and go capture the dream of a region championship.”
The boys cross country and boys golf teams are the only teams to have won region so far this school year.
The girls team also had a strong showing at the region meet. Some key finishes for the girls included a 2nd place finish from senior Kristin Dent and a 10th place finish from sophomore Lexie Paszkiewicz.
Coach Phillip Russell said, “The girls have had success at various meets, and the region meet gave the team an opportunity to race in a heated competition.” With only 5 teams advancing to State from Region 2, the girls, ranked 5th going into the meet, had to perform well in order to advance. After barely making State last year, the girls comfortably advance to the State Meet with a 52 point cushion, placing 4th overall.
Both teams will compete this weekend at the 3A State Championship at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The teams will use momentum from region to fuel their last races of the year.
From starting the season seeded 3rd in the region, a whole 60 points behind the defending champions, South Warren, the boys moved up to position themselves for a chance at the region title.
Junior and co-captain Gabe Wiles said, “It was an all-out team effort from all the guys. We put the school on our backs and got our sports out of this rough stretch.”
First-year coach Philip Russell said, “Since May, we’ve focused on being competitive at the region meet. I was confident going into the meet because of the depth that our team has developed. Placing five runners in the Top-12 showed how far this team has come and how strong we are.”
Following a disappointing 6th place finish at the region meet last season, the team didn’t know where they would place this season. Wiles said, “My co-captain, Mike Kanan, and I established the principle of ‘Bag Season,’ and I feel like it inspired the team to take that next step and go capture the dream of a region championship.”
The boys cross country and boys golf teams are the only teams to have won region so far this school year.
The girls team also had a strong showing at the region meet. Some key finishes for the girls included a 2nd place finish from senior Kristin Dent and a 10th place finish from sophomore Lexie Paszkiewicz.
Coach Phillip Russell said, “The girls have had success at various meets, and the region meet gave the team an opportunity to race in a heated competition.” With only 5 teams advancing to State from Region 2, the girls, ranked 5th going into the meet, had to perform well in order to advance. After barely making State last year, the girls comfortably advance to the State Meet with a 52 point cushion, placing 4th overall.
Both teams will compete this weekend at the 3A State Championship at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The teams will use momentum from region to fuel their last races of the year.
By Ethan Rutter