The cross country team traveled to Louisville, Kentucky, over the weekend to compete in the Greater Louisville Classic. The Bucs were able to have a successful meet, placing fifth out of 29 teams for the men while the women placed in the top 30.
Sophomore Ben Varghese (Kingsport, Tennessee) had a great effort at the event, finishing third among the 252 competitors in the men’s gold race. Varghese also averaged a 4:47 in the 8K race, finishing at 23:48.4 behind Emmanuel Cheboson of Louisville and Brennan Fields of Kentucky. This finish gave Varghese his third straight top-three result of this season.
Matthew Scarr (Wambersal, Australia) and Malick Gemechu (Johnson City, Tennessee) placed in the top 30, sophomore Noah Charles (Johnson City, Tennessee) placed at 58th, while junior Adam Bradtmueller (Sarasota, Florida) placed at 61st.
“I’m doing well, the best I can this season,” said Scarr.
In his second year, he hopes to contribute to the team by helping them get to conference and regional titles.
The women also had a successful day with Lindsey Stallworth (Knoxville, Tennessee,) finishing with a 17:42.7 and securing spot 35 of 226 in the 5K event.
Other Bucs that placed in the race were freshman Shila Kapaya (Knoxville, Tennessee) at 98th, while sophomore Makayla Shaw (Jonesborough, Tennessee) finished in the top 200.
Overall, the Bucs were able to give a good effort, and a strong finish. The Bucs hope to continue the effort as SoCon events are coming up in less than a month.
The Bucs will compete again in two weeks as they travel to Kernersville, North Carolina, for the HPU Vert XC Invitational.
