Sunday, October 29, 2000

Lady Eagles win fifth straight 4-5A cross country title

From staff and correspondent reports

SAN ANGELO — The Abilene High girls cross country team claimed its fifth consecutive District 4-5A championship Saturday.

The Lady Eagles placed five runners among the top 14 runners to score 46 points, edging runner-up San Angelo Central by eight points. Abilene High won despite top runner Tiffany O’Neill, who is running with a stress fracture in her foot, ending up as the Lady Eagles’ No. 7 finisher.

Also earning berths in the Region I-5A meet next week in Lubbock were the Cooper girls and boys, as well as Abel Sanchez of Abilene High. The Cooper girls finished third and the boys second. The top three teams and top 10 individuals qualified for the regional meet.

Michelle Belsha took second and Shanon Watson sixth to lead the Abilene High girls to the team title. Also placing in the girls’ top 10 was Cooper’s Gabriella Garza, who finished ninth.

Odessa High won the boys’ team championship with 33 points, edging Cooper by just three points for the title. Cooper placed fourth runners in the top 10. Matt “Frog” Sickbert was third, J.R. Diaz fifth, Ruben Estrada eighth and Jesse Hernandez ninth.

Abilene High’s boys finished fifth, but Sanchez qualified for regional by finishing sixth.

Girls

Team standings — 1. Abilene High 46; 2. San Angelo Central 54; 3. Cooper 90; 4. Odessa Permian 91; 5. Odessa High 93; 6. Midland Lee 151; 7. Midland High 181

Top 10 individuals — 1. Kelly Wilson, Permian, 12:27.27; 2. Michelle Belsha, AHS, 12:40.52; 3. Michel Joiner, Odessa, 12:46.00; 4. Katie Simpson, Midland Lee, 12:49.28; 5. Stacy Cabral, SA Central, 12:50.08; 6. Shanon Watson, AHS, 12:53.39; 7. Susan Garcia, Permian, 13:01.85; 7. Susan Garcia, Permian, 13:01.85; 8. Brittney Staha, SA Central, 13:08.80; 9. Gabriella Garza, Cooper, 13:11.79; 10. Megan Weaver, SA Central, 13:12.89

Other Abilene High runners — 11. Ashley Tatum 13:20.29; 13. Chandra Kinney 13:20.49; 14. Tammera Elkins 13:22.60; 28. Aletha Dillman 14:06.37; 41. Tiffany O’Neill 15:34.60

Other Cooper runners — 17. Maria Navejas 13:31.11; 19. Amy Petrencik 13:34.48; 21. Maybelline Smithee 13:39.75; 24. Hayley Simpson 13:46.16; 25. Brittany Allen 13:52.39; 43. Felia Compiglia 16:16.42

Boys

Team standings — 1. Odessa High 33; 2. Cooper 36; 3. Odessa Permian 84; 4. San Angelo central 100; 5. Abilene High 101

Top 10 individuals — 1. Disraeli Arnold, Odessa, 16:02.78; 2. Philip Ormsby, Odessa, 16:13.18; 3. Matt Sickbert, Cooper, 16:15.07; 4. Johnny Aguirre, Permian, 16:21.86; 5. J.R. Diaz, Cooper, 16:22.47; 6. Abel Sanchez, AHS, 16:28.04; 7. Josh Caudill, Odessa, 16:45.40; 8. Ruben Estrada, Cooper, 16:55.35; 9. Jesse Hernandez, Cooper, 16:58.89; 10. Jeremy Hernandez, Odessa, 16:59.27

Other Cooper runners — 11. Darren Smith 16:59.94; 14. Sergio Chavarria 17:15.61; 22. Joey Love 17:45.97

Other Abilene High runners — 18. David Evanden 17:30.65; 21. Chris Guerra 17:42.93; 33. Walley Vasquez 18:04.67; 35. Cody Petty 18:14.61; 37. Brett Froh 18:20.92; 39. Kent Marilag 19:08.63.