WCS’s Woody earns a medal at state meet

Weatherford Christian School and Trinity Christian Academy competed at the TAPPS state cross country meet in Waco on Monday, Oct. 26, but only one runner brought home a medal.

Weatherford Christian’s Evelyn Woody, the school’s only female runner, placed fourth in the 3A race, finishing with a time of 13 minutes, 14 seconds over the two-mile course.

The WCS boys team placed 10^th out of 14 teams. Jack Muhlenkamp was the team’s top runner, finishing in 42^nd place with a time of 21:06 over the 5,000-meter course. The Lions’ top five runners also included Eli Vanzant (74^th), Owen Thompson (75^th), Enfan Xie (78^th), and Liam Slade (85^th). 

WCS coach Jill Muhlenkamp said she was proud of her runners, noting the course had its challenges that tested her runners.

“The TAPPS state course is challenging with lots of hills, but everyone put in the work and competed to the best of their ability on that day,” Muhlenkamp said. “Almost all our runners ran a faster time than they did on the same course last year. I’m proud of each of them and the progress they’ve made this season.”

The TCA runners were competing in the 4A classification, and the boys team finished in seventh place out of 22 schools. The Eagles were led by Samuel Keyes, who placed 18^th with a time of 18:11. The team’s top five runners also included Henry Reynolds (30^th), Caleb Wall (45^th), Ayden Krohn (50^th), and Ethan Gilespie (72^nd). 

TCA only had one girl run as Emma Saadeh finished 31^st with a time of 14:23.

TCA coach Matthew Hahn said he was proud of his team despite not quite meeting the high expectations they had set to start this season.

“Our team went into this meet with a plan and a mindset to shoot for the moon,” Hahn said. “Although we came up short of our goal, the runners of TCA cross country put on display the mental and physical resilience they have been building. I could not be prouder of this group of athletes, and the leaps and bounds they have made this season as both athletes and people.”

State Meet

3A Varsity girls (2 mile)

4. Evelyn Woody, WCS, 13:14

4A Varsity girls (2 mile)

31. Emma Saadeh, TCA, 14:23

4A Varsity boys (5K)

Team finish: Trinity Christian Academy 7^th (198)

18. Samuel Keyes, TCA, 18:11

30. Henry Reynolds, TCA, 18:56

45. Caleb Wall, TCA, 19:30

50. Ayden Krohn, TCA, 19:42

72. Ethan Gilespie, TCA, 20:13

158. Harrison Brown, TCA, 24:00

3A Varsity boys (5K)

Team finish: Weatherford Christian School 10^th (267)

42. Jack Muhlenkamp, WCS, 21:06

74. Eli Vanzant, WCS, 23:00

75. Owen Thompson, WCS, 23:01

78. Enfan Xie, WCS, 23:26

85. Liam Slade, WCS, 24:18

109. Gavin Slade, WCS, 28:38

120. Ewan Gorman, WCS, 34:19