By: Adam Freeman
The Tucker County Mountain Lions Cross Country team had an unforgettable showing at the Regional Championship meet in Braxton County, at Holly Gray Park, with multiple athletes making school history and earning their way to the state level.
On the girls’ side, Estoria Chase made Tucker County school history by capturing first place overall with an impressive time of 22:22, finishing more than a minute ahead of the second-place runner. Her prevalent performance secured her a spot at the state meet. Teammate, Addi Moats, also qualified for states, finishing fifth with a time of 25:13, marking a formidable showing for the Lady Lions. Lilly Collar rounded out the team effort, finishing 17th with a time of 32:48.
The boys’ team continued their tradition of excellence, qualifying for the state meet for the fourth consecutive year after placing second overall, just behind Trinity Christian High School. The top two runners, Lynk Suesli and Cameron Judy, also made school history by finishing first and second, respectively. Suesli won the regional title with a time of 18:13, while Judy crossed the line close behind at 18:23.
Rounding out the team’s performance, Alex Collar placed 8th (19:55), William Gilligan finished 12th (21:11), and Draven Bunnell came in 13th (21:29).
With both individual and team successes, the Tucker County Mountain Lions head into the state meet with momentum and pride, representing their school and community at the highest level of competition. The Mt. Lions will travel to Cabell Midland High School for the WV State Cross-Country Championship on Saturday, November 1st with the girls starting at 11:00 a.m. and the boys to follow.
