By Katherine Jamtgaard for App State Sports. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The App State women’s track and field team closed out competition at the Sun Belt Indoor Championships on Feb. 21, with two broken program records and a gold medal for Jada Branch in the women’s triple jump. In the team standings, the Mountaineers took 11th with 29.5 points.
The 4×400-meter relay team of seniors Jelonnie Smith and Jada Branch, graduate student Hunter Robinson, and senior Mariah Atwater set a new program record with a time of 3:43.42, finishing fourth in the race. The quartet had set the previous record, 3:46.87, at this season’s VMI Winter Classic on Jan. 27-28.
Atwater also set a new program record and personal best in the women’s 400 meters after stopping the clock at 55.24, edging past the previous record of 55.25, which was set in 2020 by Jessica Dixon. Atwater finished fourth in Tuesday’s race.
Branch garnered gold in the women’s triple jump with a personal best leap of 12.85m (42′ 2″), which places her third in the App State all-time list.
Freshman Ava Studney tied for seventh with Louisiana’s Cameron Martinez in the women’s pole vault with a clearance of 3.69m (12′ 1.25″).
Monday Rewind
In the women’s weight throw, sophomore Graysen Arnold finished fifth with a toss of 18.00m (59′ 0.75″), which moved her to sixth in the App State all-time list for the event. The distance medley relay team composed of sophomore Alexis Svoboda, Jelonnie Smith, freshman Addison Ollendick-Smith, and junior Jasmine Donohue clocked a time of 12:07.72 to finish sixth overall.
Women’s Team Standings | Final
1. Arkansas State – 106.5 points
2. Coastal Carolina – 76.5 points
3. Texas State – 73 points
4. South Alabama – 58 points
5. Georgia Southern – 56 points
6. Louisiana – 55.5 points
7. James Madison – 48 points
7. Marshall – 48 points
9. Southern Miss – 47 points
10. ULM – 46 points 11. App State – 29.5 points
12. Troy – 16 points
13. Georgia State – 2 points
By Matt Present for App State Sports. HIGH POINT, N.C. – Highlighted by a nine-run sixth inning, App State Baseball improves to 4-0 for the first time since 2011, defeating High Point, 16-7, Tuesday at Dillard Stadium.
After leading 3-0 entering the bottom of the fifth inning, the Panthers tied the score with a pair of home runs off of App State reliever Caleb Cross (win, 1-0).
The Mountaineer offense responded in a big way in the top of the sixth inning. Dylan Rogers reached on an error to begin the frame, and Luke Drumheller followed with a walk. That set the stage for Golston Gillespie, who crushed a go-ahead three-run home run to right field, to put App State back in front, 6-3. Gillespie finished the night with a career-high six RBIs in the ballgame, the most by a Mountaineer in recorded history (since 2013).
The Mountaineers were just getting started in the inning. Jonathan Xuereb reached on a walk, stole second, and then came in to score on a Xavier Moronta single to center. After Hayden Cross continued the rally with a single, C.J. Boyd sliced a two-run double down the right field line to make it a 9-3 App State advantage.
After a High Point (3-1) pitching change, Rogers, batting for the second time in the inning, drove in Boyd with an RBI single through the right side. Drumheller then walked and moved to second on a passed ball, and Gillespie followed with a two-run single to right to give him five RBIs in the inning and put App State ahead, 12-3.
Collin Welch started the ballgame for the Mountaineers and struck out three in four scoreless innings of work. Welch yielded just two hits and did not walk a batter. After giving up a pair of home runs in the fifth, Cross bounced back with a scoreless sixth inning of work.
Boyd belted his first home run of the season in the top of the ninth inning to make it 16-7. The Mountaineer left fielder also notched a pair of doubles, and finished the night with three RBIs and three runs scored.
App State opened the scoring with a three-run fourth inning. All three runs score on a two-out rally, beginning with a two-run single from Drumheller. Gillespie followed with an RBI single to push Drumheller across to score.
The Mountaineers finished the game with 18 hits, led by a career-high four-hit game from Hayden Cross. Moronta also tallied four hits, and now reached base 16 times in his first four games as a Mountaineer. The 16 runs and 18 hits are both the most for the Mountaineers since a 17-9 win over High Point at Smith Stadium last April.
Blake Sutton led the way for High Point in the loss, hitting two home runs to give him five long balls in the first four games of the season for the Panthers.
App State will face off with North Carolina A&T in a three-game weekend series. The teams will begin the set at Truist Point stadium in High Point on Friday at 5 p.m. The Mountaineers will then host the Aggies in their home opener at Smith Stadium at 1 p.m. on Saturday in a game that will be broadcast on ESPN+. Sunday the two teams will face off at 1 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium in Greensboro. The Aggies are 3-0 on the season following a three-game sweep of Maryland-Eastern Shore. They face Davidson for a pair of mid-week contests, Tuesday and Thursday.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Senior basketball guard Bryant Greene is all set to graduate from Appalachian State’s Walker College of Business and become the next generation in the family business, Boone-based cabbage producer Hollar & Greene, but those plans have recently been put on hold — with everyone’s blessing.
Instead, Greene will take advantage of his extra “COVID-19 year” of eligibility and return to play basketball for the Mountaineers during the 2023-24 academic year.
“The injury certainly had a lot to do with my decision,” Greene told High Country Sports on Feb. 20, the first day he was officially cleared to resume playing basketball for the 2022-23 season after injuring his foot last fall, “and that isn’t the way I want to go out my senior year, being hurt. I also talked to my family and Coach Kerns, as well as to other staff members.
“I really enjoy being on a team and there are only a certain number of years you can be part of this,” Greene continued. “My father (Tim Greene) said, ‘You can work for the rest of your life but you might as well be part of the team while you can.’ I really do enjoy it and I want to see App State Basketball succeed up here in the High Country. So, why not stay another year?”
Bryant Greene. Photographic image by David Rogers
When asked about Greene’s decision, App State men’s basketball head coach Dustin Kerns didn’t hesitate.
“I was ecstatic,” said Kerns, of learning about Greene’s decision. “This year has been difficult with the injury, but Bryant was playing good basketball before the injury, so to see him want to stick around I was really, really excited about that. He is a culture guy, a program guy. Having a guy who has been in the program for five years will be very beneficial. As a Boone native and someone who I think wants to live in Boone, it means a lot to him and his family to be a part of the App State program. As the head coach, I am ecstatic about his decision.”
The Watauga High School alum earned all-Northwestern Conference and all-District honors in high school, but has primarily been a scout team performer for the Mountaineers, a role he has relished even though every athlete wants to be on the court when the game is on the line.
“I don’t really think about my role,” said Greene. “In practice, I just try to go as hard as I can and push my teammates. If my role changes, it changes, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I am just here to help us win, however that is done, however I can contribute.”
Given that Greene will be a fifth year veteran, Kerns was asked whether Greene’s role had the potential to change.
“I think it could change,” said Kerns of Greene’s role next year. “And that could be both on and off the court. I think it is safe to say that his role has the potential to change just being a guy who has been in the program a long time. He has worked hard.”
Greene’s role these past few years as “the villain,” in practices often taking on the persona as the next opponent’s best player in order to better prepare the Mountaineers’ starters and top guys in the rotation, has paid huge dividends in terms of his basketball IQ. He has studied a lot of film, examined a lot fof themes.
“Performing in that role could very well prepare him for being a basketball coach one day,” said Kerns. “Officially, he was cleared to be back today, playing. But even in being out, Bryant was still here, observing.
“Typically, when a guy is out for any length of time, like the four months Bryant was sidelined,” added Kerns, “on their first day back, as coaches we are reminding them of things, explaining things like terminology. But there was nothing of that today with Bryant. He picked up just like he had practiced with us last week.
“As coaches, we didn’t have to coach him up as he rejoined the team on the court today,” said Kerns. “He has been observant. He knows what to do. From that standpoint, there is certainly the potential translation to being a coach one day. He is always very mindful of what is going on, on the court.”
Greene himself admits that coaching in the future is in the realm of possibility.
“I have definitely learned a lot about basketball since being here,” said Greene. “After college basketball for one more season, I will focus on getting started in my family’s business, Hollar & Greene, but I definitely can see the potential for helping out with Watauga basketball someday. Maybe not as a head coach, but helping in some capacity, if they want me.”
Asked what he thought of the current Watauga men’s team and its No. 28 seeding in the 4A state playoffs, Greene said, “That is a dangerous No. 28 seed. Watauga is one of those teams where if they hit those threes, they are dangerous. They are one of those teams that could heat up real quick and beat anybody.”
Greene said that his academic major was in supply chain management, but he is working on a risk management and insurance minor.
“Next year,” he said, “I may go after another business major or start grad school (presumably and MBA). I haven’t really decided yet.
“Supply chain is a big thing for our family business because we grow and ship cabbage all over the world. It is a complete supply chain thing. And then, my uncle, Tony, is in a risk management and insurance position, so our discussion about those topics have led to my interest there. I did an internship with him and am currently working on a case study. I want to learn every aspect of it and I will probably travel around with him some this summer, some insurance workshops and stuff.”
But that is all in the future. While college athletics is a “job” for many athletes, not for Bryant Greene.
“I wouldn’t call it a job at all. I really love working out with the team and hanging out with the team after practice. Obviously, I enjoy every aspect of it or I wouldn’t be coming back. Not many people get to do this, so I don’t want to take it for granted. And this is a great coaching staff. I enjoy working with them every single day. Dustin Kerns is a great coach and he has some great assistants. It is a great staff to be around, every single day,” said Greene.
By Bret Strelow for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — During a marathon day with 30 matches, the first two set the tone for a dominant, title-clinching sweep of a SoCon tripleheader on Sunday,
App State Wrestling carried a strong start in a battle of conference unbeatens to a 22-14 victory against Campbell in a packed Varsity Gym, with nearly 1,000 fans in attendance, then followed that with a 43-0 shutout of Presbyterian and 47-0 shutout of Davidson.
Finishing as unbeaten, outright SoCon regular season champions for the second straight season, the 20th-ranked Mountaineers (12-2, 8-0) also secured their sixth title in the last eight years and 14th championship over the last three decades.
The first two matches in the App State-Campbell dual were ranked showdowns, with the Mountaineers collecting two huge victories to help them claim six of the first seven matches.
Battling sickness that kept him out of several practices during the week, Caleb Smith earned a tiebreaking takedown with 25 seconds left in a 4-1 win at 125 pounds against 32nd-ranked Anthony Molton, who entered Sunday with three top-15 victories. Ethan Oakley then delivered a takedown with 57 seconds left in the Sudden Victory overtime period at 133 pounds to win 3-1 against 22nd-ranked Domenic Zaccone. That result gave Oakley dramatic wins against top-25 wrestlers from Chattanooga and Campbell in the last two duals.
After a ranked wrestler from Campbell (16-9, 7-1) won by major decision at 141, App State turned a 6-4 edge into a 22-4 advantage thanks to four-point major decisions from Jon Jon Millner (8-0 at 149), Tommy Askey (11-3 at 157 against Troy Nation, who had a top-33 RPI ranking), Will Formato (12-0 at 165) and Will Miller (16-3 at 174).
With three matches remaining and an 18-point margin in the team score, Campbell would need pins from its ranked wrestlers at 184, 197 and heavyweight to rally for a title-swinging victory. Luke Uliano’s tough work on top in the final two periods of a 5-1 loss clinched the dual for the Mountaineers.
App State followed that emotional victory with its 13th and 14th dual shutouts since 2020, starting with Smith’s 9-3 decision against Presbyterian’s Dominic Chavez, who had won 10-3 against Molton earlier this season.
With all-important individual seedings for the March 4 league tournament in Boone at stake even as the Mountaineers weren’t threatened from a team standpoint, App State’s starters didn’t suffer a letdown against the Blue Hose or Wildcats.
Smith (8-0), Oakley (7-0), Millner (8-0), Askey (8-0) and Formato (8-0) all went unbeaten in SoCon duals this season.
Before the final dual of the day, App State conducted a Senior Day ceremony to honor Millner, Formato, Cody Bond, Chopper Mordecai and Mason Fiscella.
Millner produced a pin in his final Varsity Gym appearance, giving him a 38-3 career record in the venerable building. He went 47-4 in duals during his App State career, including 30-0 in SoCon duals.
No. 20 App State 22, Campbell 14
125: #14 Caleb Smith (APP) def. #32 Anthony Molton (CU), 4-1 dec.
133: Ethan Oakley (APP) def. #22 Domenic Zaccone (CU), 3-1 dec. (SV)
141: #33 Shannon Hanna (CU) def. Heath Gonyer (APP), 11-3 maj. dec.
149: #9 Jon Jon Millner (APP) def. Chris Rivera (CU), 8-0 maj. dec.
157: #27 Tommy Askey (APP) def. Troy Nation (CU), 11-3 maj. dec.
165: #27 Will Formato (APP) def. Dom Baker (CU), 12-0 maj. dec.
174: Will Miller (APP) def. Brant Cracraft (CU), 16-3 maj. dec.
184: #31 Caleb Hopkins (CU) def. Luke Uliano (APP), 5-1 dec.
197: #27 Levi Hopkins (CU) def. Carson Floyd (APP), 5-0 dec.
Hwt: #16 Taye Ghadiali (CU) def. Jacob Sartorio (APP), 17-8 maj. dec.
No. 20 App State 43, Presbyterian 0
125: #14 Caleb Smith (APP) def. Dominic Chavez (PC), 9-3 dec.
133: Ethan Oakley (APP) def. Jacob Brasseur (PC), 8-1 dec.
141: Heath Gonyer (APP) def. Trenton Donahue (PC), 7-1 dec.
149: #9 Jon Jon Millner (APP) def. Khalid Brinkley (PC), fall (1:25)
157: #27 Tommy Askey (APP) def. Michael Ramirez (PC), 21-5 tech fall
165: #27 Will Formato (APP) def. Tyler Chittum (PC), 15-3 maj. dec.
174: Will Miller (APP) def. Zach Wells (PC), 12-2 maj. dec.
184: Luke Uliano (APP) def. Cordel Duhart (PC), fall (6:38)
197: Carson Floyd (APP) def. Malcolm Wiley (PC), 6-4 dec.
Hwt: Jacob Sartorio (APP) def. Morvens Saint Jean (PC), fall (2:39)
No. 20 App State 47, Davidson 0
125: #14 Caleb Smith (APP) def. Hale Robinson (DC), fall (4:29)
133: Ethan Oakley (APP) def. Jackson Sichelstiel (DC), 6-0 dec.
141: Heath Gonyer (APP) def. Noah Burstein (DC), 10-1 maj. dec.
149: #9 Jon Jon Millner (APP) def. Matt McLaughlin (DC), fall (4:07)
157: #27 Tommy Askey (APP) def. Daniel Yetsick (DC), 12-3 maj. dec.
165: #27 Will Formato (APP) def. Marc Koch (DC), 10-0 maj. dec.
174: Will Miller (APP) def. Brett Sanderlin (DC), 13-0 maj. dec.
184: Luke Uliano (APP) def. Cameo Blankenship (DC), 10-1 maj. dec.
197: Carson Floyd (APP) vs. Gavin Henry (DC), fall (6:46)
Hwt: Jacob Sartorio (APP) won by forfeit
By Matt Present for App State Sports. HICKORY, N.C. – App State opened the bottom of the first inning with back-to-back home runs, and the offense never looked back, defeating Queens, 13-5, to complete an opening weekend sweep.
The Mountaineers’ (3-0) sweep was their first since they won three straight at Smith Stadium against Arkansas State March 19-21, 2021. They held Queens (0-3) without a hit through the first five innings of play.
On the third pitch of the bottom of the first inning, fifth-year senior Andrew Terrell crushed a home run to left-center field, and one batter later Xavier Moronta hit a line-drive shot over the right field fence, his first home run as a Mountaineer, to put App State ahead, 2-0, two batters into the ballgame.
One inning later, Terrell struck again. After Jonathan Xuereb reached on a run-scoring error to prolong the inning, Terrell delivered a 413-foot blast to left field to put App State ahead, 5-0.
Terrell became just the sixth Mountaineer since at least 2013 to enjoy a multi-homer game, and the first to do so since Joel McDaniel hit two home runs in a game at Coastal Carolina on May 17, 2019. Terrell had homered just twice total in his first four seasons at App State.
The App State offense scored at least two runs in each of the first five innings of play. Austin St. Laurent led off the third inning with a single up the middle, and after stealing second, scored on an RBI single from C.J. Boyd two batters later. Boyd then also stole second, and came into score on an RBI single from Luke Drumheller to put the Mountaineers ahead, 7-0.
Boyd then highlighted a four-run fourth inning with a two-run double down the left field line, as App State took an 11-1 lead.
Ryan Sleeper made his first start for the Mountaineers on the mound. The lefty struck out five in 2.2 innings of work. He exited with the bases loaded and two outs in the third, but Zach Lewis (win, 1-0) came in and induced a groundout to escape the jam.
App State pitching did not allow a hit until the sixth inning, when Queens broke through with back-to-back two-out singles.
The Royals scored an unearned run in the fourth inning to break up the shutout, and then took advantage of six walks and a hit batter in fifth inning, plating four more in that frame.
After the fifth inning, the Mountaineers bullpen finished strong. Trey Tujetsch struck out three in 2.2 scoreless innings, while Skylar Brooks and Jake Beaty each delivered a scoreless frame in their first App State appearances.
At the plate, App State finished with 11 hits, with five Mountaineers enjoying two-hit games.
The Mountaineers are back in action on Tuesday when they travel to High Point to face the Panthers. First pitch from Willard Stadium is set for 4 p.m. High Point is also 3-0 on the season, following a three-game sweep against Bryant to open the year.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It will be a day to battle Cougars on Feb. 21 for both the Watauga men’s and women’s basketball teams in the first round of the North Carolina state playoffs.
It was no surprise when the North Carolina Athletic Association announced on Feb. 18 that the Watauga women’s team earned the No. 2 seed in the West bracket of the 4A state basketball tournament. There was uncertainty, though, in whether the Pioneer men’s team would make it as the second-place 4A team in Northwestern Conference play with a 12-13 overall record and sub-500 results in 3A/4A NWC league play.
The NCHSAA goes by the numbers and there are at least 106 schools with a 4A classification. Using the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), NCHSAA determined that Watauga earned a No. 28 ranking in RPI and deserved a No. 28 seed in the state playoffs among the 32 teams comprising the West bracket.
First round games will be played on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at the higher seed’s venue. The Watauga women will be hosting the Chambers High School Cougars. The men’s Pioneers will face Charlotte Catholic on the same night in the Queen City.
If the Watauga women win in the first round, as the higher seed they will host the winner of the Northwest Guilford (No. 15)/R J Reynolds (No. 18) first round matchup, in the second round.
If the Watauga men upset the No. 5 seeded Charlotte Catholic Cougars, they will advance to the second round at either No. 12 Olympic or No. 21 Southeast Guilford, whichever team wins their first round matchup.
Other State Tournament Notes and Observations
All three Northwestern Conference 4A men’s teams are in the upper half of the West bracket. South Caldwell just made it as the No. 32 seed and will face the No. 1 seed, Myers Park (Charlotte). Alexander Central, the top team in the NWC, was awarded the No. 8 seed and will host No. 25 Sun Valley (Monroe, N.C.).
Alexander Central is the only other NWC 4A women’s team in the West bracket, with a No. 13 seed and will face No. 20 Cox Mill in the first round.
Other regional teams of interest in the 4A women’s West bracket include No. 1 seeded Lake Norman, No. 5 A.C. Reynolds, No. 12 Myers Park, No. 21 T.C. Roberson, and No. 10 Asheville.
Other regional teams of interest in the 4A men’s West bracket include No. 9 A.C. Reynolds.
In the 3A West men’s bracket, former NWC member St. Stephens is the No. 32 seed, while current NWC member and Watauga rival, Hibriten, is the No. 25 seed. Top-ranked in the NWC, Freedom is the No. 3 seed and former NWC rival, Hickory, is the No. 2 seed.
In the 3A West women’s bracket, High Country contender Ashe County earned the No. 7 seed and will host No. 24 Crest. Another NWC contender, Freedom, is the No. 14 seed and will host No. 19 Franklin.
By David Rogers. HICKORY, N.C. — For the first two innings of Appalachian State’s Feb. 18 baseball game vs. Queens at the Hickory Crawdads’ LP Frans Stadium, both teams got runners on base, only to be left stranded. But when the Mountaineer dam broke, it gushed to a 5-2 win over the Royals.
In his Mountaineer debut, righthander Bradley Wilson picked up the win vs. Queens in Game 2 of the 2023 season, at LP Frans Stadium in Hickory. Photographic image by David Rogers
Mountaineer catcher Hayden Cross was involved in almost every aspect of his team’s run production, going 2-for-3 at the plate with 2 RBIs and a run scored, including smacking a double and a single while drawing a pair of base on balls.
Designated hitter Xavier Moronta added two runs scored while hitting 3-for-4, and getting hit by a pitch during one at bat.
Sophomore left fielder C J Boyd, junior right fielder Dylan Rogers, and redshirt senior first baseman Golston Gillespie were also credited with RBIs for their afternoon’s work.
Queens avoided letting another Mountaineer run with this play at the plate that caught Xavier Moronta, trying to score from second. Photographic image by David Rogers
Starting pitcher Bradley Wilson, a redshirt sophomore Lillington, N.C., pitched five innings of one-hit ball, including 3 strikeouts and 5 walks while facing 20 batters to pick up the win. Junior righthander, Dante Chirico earned the save after giving up 2 runs on 2 hits and 2 errors during his 4 innings of work in relief.
The Royals got on the scoreboard in the top of the 6th inning when centerfielder Andrew McDermott tripled to center field, scoring second baseman Christian Maggio, who had walked and Nick Alderfer who had reached base on a fielder’s choice.
The Mountaineers’ Austin St. Laurent legs it from 2nd base to 3B on Feb. 18, vs. Queens University at LP Frans Stadium. Photographic image by David Rogers
Attendance for the game was 594, enjoying the sunshine and perfect playing conditions.
With the win, App State improves to 2-0 on the young season, adding to the opening day win over the Royals, which was also a 5-2 decision. They close out the “home” series against Queens at LP Frans Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 19, with a 1 p.m. first pitch. Mountaineer lefthander Ryan Sleeper and Queens righthander Jeffery Maidhof are scheduled to start on the mound.
App State travels to High Point on Feb. 21 before returning for a 2023 official home opener at Smith Stadium on Feb. 25, vs. North Carolina A&T.
By David Rogers. BATHURST, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA — With a thunder and lightening storm looming on the horizon, athletes from Uganda electrified the crowd on Feb. 18, taking the gold and silver medals in the Senior Men division of the World Cross Country Championship.
Organizers barely got that final event in before the storm swept through the infield of the Mount Panorama motor racing track that was host to the two-kilometer loop where the World XC Championships were staged.
After the race, Colley looks like he could run another 10k in 95 degree heat! Photo courtesy of Pete Rea, ZAP Endurance
In fact, according to ZAP Endurance head coach Pete Rea, as the main body of top runners was crossing the finish line, one by one, the race organizers were ushering the laggards off the course because of the approaching lightening.
Blowing Rock’s Andrew Colley was the third USA team member to complete the five laps of the the Senior Men race, at No. 36 (31:44), behind Sam Chelanga (No. 21, 31:04) and Emmanuel Bor (No. 32, 31:37). Teammate Anthony Rotich completed the scoring quartet for the USA, crossing the line at No. 45 (32:11). The four American athletes’ performance meant that the USA earned sixth place in the team competition.
Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo surged past teammate and defending champion Joshua Cheptegei, Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor and Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi roughly a third of the way into the final of the five laps and distanced himself from there and leaving it to others to sort out the order of the runners up. Kiplimo took gold with a time of 29:17. While Kamworor was among the leaders for the entire race, Aregawi surprised the field late to take the silver medal in 29:26. Cheptegei outlasted Kamworor to claim the bronze in 29:37, with Kamworor a fraction of a second behind.
The World Cross Country Championships included five races, a Mixed Relay (two men and two women from each country), Under20 Women, Under20 Men, Senior Women, and Senior Men. Each race traversed the same 2-kilometer course, although the number of laps were different for each division. The course had some interesting features, specially crafted, including The Chicane, The Boomerang, Through The Vines (AKA “The Vineyard”), Bondi Beach and The Billabong, each with their own special elements.
Arguably the most onerous is the challenge of Bondi Beach, basically a sand pit, and The Boomerang, with a long uphill ascent, but not only the messiest but perhaps the most dangerous is The Billabong, a long mud pit. While there were no crocodiles such as frequent a good number of natural billabongs, we did see a couple of athletes lose their footing and fall into the muck as they entered.
One of the uniquely Australian sights seen by ZAP Endurance head coach Pete Rea was a kangaroo looking about at all of the commotion in its natural habitat.
With temperatures hovering near 95 degrees and 50 percent humidity, the Mixed Relay saw Kenya get the day’s first gold medal, with Ethiopia and Australia taking silver and bronze, respectively. The U.S. team finished No. 5 from among the 15 countries with at least four runners to comprise a team.
In the Under20 Women’s race, two Ethiopian athletes took gold and silver, while Kenya claimed bronze. The USA’s Ellie Shea (No. 10), Irene Riggs (No. 12), and Karrie Baloga (No. 13) were in the hunt and led the American team to a team bronze medal. The fourth scorer for the USA was Zariel Macchia at No. 19, putting all four in the top 20 among the more than 60 entries.
In the Under20 Men’s race, the African nations again dominated. The top 15 places were held by Kenya, Ethiopia, or Uganda athletes. The USA’s Emilio Young was the first non-African athlete across the finish line, at No. 16, leading the American team to a bronze medal as a team.
A billabong is a large body of water that gets separated from a primary river flow due to storm or flood, frequently attracting crocodiles to the habitat. For the World XC Championships in Bathurst, this billabong challenge is basically a asking the runners to trek through a mud pit. Photo by Pete Rea, ZAP Endurance
High Drama at the Finish for the Senior Women
In one of the most unusual finishes perhaps in the history of the World Cross Country Championships, held since 1973, Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet and Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey ran in a pack of five leaders for at good part of the race, then began to separate themselves with one lap to to, with Chebet seeming to try and break away. But Gidey stayed right with the Kenyan, took a quick look at her watch, and started to drive for the lead.
If one variety of pathway was too busy with competing runners, the followers could choose a different ‘variety’ to follow. Photo Pete Rea, ZAP Endurance
Gidey surged decisively into the lead on the uphill portion of the final lap leading to what is called The Boomerang section, and appeared to take command. She kept expanding her lead over Chebet, who looked like she was going to settle for the silver medal as she put more distance on the third and fourth runners.
Gidey, who had won the Under20 race at the World Championships twice before, stretched her lead over Chebet to almost five seconds and what was estimated at 50 yards as she descended down a long, downhill straightway before making a nimble 180-degree right turn and entered a section called, “The Chicane.” Weaving her way between the alternating twelve rows of tires, Gidey looked almost fresh as she started the last uphill climb. Once to the top, the course makes two 90-degree left turns and onto a long straightaway downhill to the finish.
Toward the top of the uphill, Chebet accelerated and closed the gap slightly as Gidey made her first, then second 90-degree turns. Looking over her shoulder one last time, Gidey still seemed to have the race under control, one-third of the way down the finishing stretch.
Suddenly, Chebet was seen flying down the homestretch and as she appeared ready to overtake Gidey with only some 50 feet left before the finish, the Ethiopian suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground — and laid there as Chebet sprinted on by to claim gold. Then, with Gidey still lying on the ground, Ethiopian teammate Tsigie Gebreselama and Kenya ‘s Agnes Janet Ngetich raced on by to capture silver and bronze. Gidey remained prostrate on the ground until two bystanders sprinted onto the course to pick her up, allowing her to be the fourth athlete to cross the finish line, but she was later disqualified for having received the assistance.
ZAP head coach Pete Rea and ZAP team member Andrew Colley — also the No. 2 qualifier for the USA team at the World Cross Country Championships — relax for a moment afte Colley’s No. 36 finish on Feb. 18. Photo courtesy of ZAP EnduranceUSA team members Andrew Colley (left) and Sam Chelanga warm up before the 2023 World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia on Feb. 18. Photo courtesy of Pete Rea, ZAP Endurance
By David Rogers. MORGANTON, N.C. — It is hard to beat just about any team three times in the same season, especially when the defeated squad in the first two meetings has all their wits about them and is in good health on the third go ’round. Certainly that was the case on Feb. 17 when Watauga defeated regular season nemesis, Hibriten, 48-43, to earn the championship title of the Northwestern Conference post-season tournament, hosted at Freedom High School.
It was not an easy outing. After jumping out to a 16-5 lead at the end of the first quarter, Watauga saw its early advantage all but slip away by halftime. The Panthers “won” the second period, 15-5, to almost close the early gap. Hibriten trailed Watauga by only a single point going into intermission, 21-20.
On Feb. 17, Caroline Farthing was effective in penetrating the lane, then passing the ball out to an open teammate. Photographic image by David Rogers
With some halftime adjustments and regathering their composure during the break, Watauga was able to take a 32-26 lead going into the final stanza, but Hibriten would not go quietly into the night. Senior guard Katie Story poured in a game-high 24 points in the losing effort to keep the Panthers close throughout the contest. With the Pioneers leading by just five with under a minute remaining in the game, Hibriten was forced to go into “foul mode” in hopes of Pioneer misses at the charity stripe and a chance to get the ball back for some scores.
It’s hard to say which of the Pioneers had more ice in their veins in that final minute as they sidled up to the free throw line. Most of the opportunities fell to junior guard Charlotte Torgerson as her teammates passed her the ball and she waited patiently for one or more Panthers to foul and send her to the line. Without a doubt, Torgerson did her part, successful on 7-of-9 free throws on the night, with most of them coming in the final minute.
Brooke Scheffler, Caroline Farthing and Kate Sears were named to the All-Tournament team, with Sears selected as MVP. Photographic image by David Rogers
But that final minute also saw senior guard Laurel Kiker go to the line and she was a perfect 2-for-2 during that stretch, 3-for-4 for the night. On the defensive end, senior forward Brooke Scheffler came down with a rebound only to be struck in the face. In obvious pain from the unintentional hit, she took a minute, then shook off her obvious discomfort to calmly sink one of two free throws in the final minute. Sophomore point guard Kate Sears was much closer back to her normally productive self on the night and made 2-of-3 free throws in that last minute stretch. She finished the game with a team-high 21 points, just slightly over her season average of 20.4, according to MaxPreps.
All in all, while Hibriten scored some points in that final minute, they were not enough to offset the free throws made by the Pioneers during that stretch.
“I am so happy for our team,” said Watauga head coach Laura Barry afterwards. “We talked about earning this and what it would take. Not that it would take a perfect game, but that it would take effort and focus on doing our job. I am just so proud of the team for doing that.”
In the last 50 seconds, Torgerson (33), Kiker (21) and Scheffler (20) were the ‘ice queens’ when sent to the foul line by desperation Hibriten infractions. Photographic images by David Rogers
In reviewing the win, Barry started with the beginning: the previous night in the semifinals and the effort that got them to the final.
“I could go right down the line, but Julie (Matheson) last night was amazing and then (Kaitlyn) Darner tonight coming in and making plays, getting steals for a breakout,” said Barry. “And then the steadiness of our starters. Caroline Farthing defensively and on the glass (rebounding). Then you have Brooke Scheffler’s improvement this year as a senior just shines for us. And the backcourt guards, Kate (Sears) and Charlotte (Torgerson). They just do so much for us. I am rambling, but going down the line I am so proud of them.”
Given the 48-45 loss to Hibriten on Jan. 12 and the 64-50 defeat on Feb. 3 when a large portion of her roster was sick with the flu, including Sears and Torgerson, the Pioneers felt they had something to prove.
Watauga’s Kaitlyn Darner (30) had two second half streals and a long range shot to help seal the deal for the Pioneers against Hibriten, 48-43, on Feb. 17. Photographic image by David Rogers
“This was a game where every possession mattered,” said Barry. “I think we locked into believing that and then played like that.”
Barry said she felt the first half was a bit more physical than the second half, when the officials were blowing their whistles more frequently.
“It went both ways and I don’t think they overblew their whistles,” Barry noted. “It keeps great players on the floor. Players like Kate Sears and Katy Story, who we have a ton of respect for, you want those kids to be on the floor, playing. I prefer no foul trouble, for sure.”
Kate Sears (12) was back to her old self for Watauga in driving the lane against Hibriten in the NWC tournament championship game. Photographic image by David Rogers
Not surprisingly, the Watauga players were ecstatic about finally getting the win over Hibriten after the two challenging losses.
“It feels fantastic,” said Torgerson. “They are a very worthy opponent and they prove that over and over again. Playing them again for a third time, that’s tough on both teams. Coach Barry said we have to want this more. We have to play just as hard, if not harder. We faced some adversity in the first two games. Like I said, they are a very worthy opponent but tonight we showed them the best Watauga team.”
Watauga junior guard Charlotte Torgerson frequently drew a crowd before passing out to a teammate on Feb. 17 in the NWC championship game win vs. Hibriten, 48-43. Photographic image by David Rogers
Hibriten’s senior point guard, Story, represented a real challenge for the Watauga defense.
“We played an extended 2-3 zone, really stressing getting out on the shooters. All three of their guards can shoot the ball well,” said Torgerson. “We stressed getting out, putting our hands in front of their faces and making their shots very, very difficult.”
Scheffler echoed Torgerson’s thoughts on getting past Hibriten.
“It is such a great feeling. Finally putting it to them the third time,” said a beaming Scheffler, quickly acknowledging, “It is hard to beat a team three times. We knew that going in. We just had to accept that they are a tough team and we had to do it.
“This gives us a lot of confidence going into the state playoffs, getting a win like this. Hibriten is a fast-paced team, strong under the basket, rebounders… Knowing that we can beat a team like that where we normally don’t have a great matchup, it really helps us in the long run,” Scheffler added.
Laurel Kiker (21) on the move against Hibriten on Feb. 17 in the Northwestern Conference tourney championship game. Photographic image by David Rogers
Sears said afterwards, “Last night we didn’t play our best game at all. Playing a team where we lost twice in the regular season where we didn’t feel we were at our best both times, tonight we felt like we had something to prove. We came out strong. Right from the beginning, we were knocking down stuff and playing with a ton of intensity on defense. We were able to keep that lead throughout the game, even though they went on runs.
“In the second quarter, I think they started adjusting to how hot we came out in the first quarter. They started hitting shots, which we knew they could do. We just had to handle the runs that we knew would happen. We handled it ok in the second quarter, then went in at halftime and regrouped. In the second half, we started knocking stuff down again,” said Sears.
Sears, Farthing and Scheffler were all named to the all-tournament team, with Sears being named Most Valuable Player. She shared the regular season MVP with Hibriten’s Story, named co-MVPs.
The All-Tournament team in its entirety included, Morgan Phipps (Ashe County), Meredith Wike (Alexander Central), Zoey Walker (Hibriten), Brooke Scheffler (Watauga), Caroline Farthing (Watauga), Katie Story (Hibriten), and Kate Sears (Watauga).
Now the teams we will await the seeding for the state playoffs, Watauga in the 4A division and Hibriten in the 3A division.
By David Rogers. BATHURST, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA — Crocodile Dundee will not be around on Feb. 18 in New South Wales, Australia, to save any of the nearly 800 male and female elite running athletes from around the world who might fall into a reptile-infested billabong during the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst. And while the event organizers may only be having a bit of fun with their crocodile signs, the early comments among the competitors is that Bathurst will be the “toughest” course many of them have faced.
Counting an Athlete Refugee Team, nearly 50 nations have sent runners to compete in the senior men, senior women, under 20 men, under 20 women, and mixed relay events. In addition to Australia and the USA, there are teams from almost every continent. The countries represented include Uganda, South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia from Africa; Great Britain and Spain from Europe; Japan, Fiji, and China from Asia; Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the USA from North and South America and several others from around the world.
Andrew Colley mid-race during the National Cross Country Championships on Jan. 21 in Mechanicsville, Va. He place second and qualified for the U.S. team. He will compete with the U.S. team on Feb. 18 in Bathurst, Australia. Photo by @pacephoto, courtesy of ZAP Endurance
Blowing Rock and the High Country are represented in what will arguably be the fastest race of the day: the Senior Men’s Division. ZAP Endurance team member Andrew Colley was the second fastest qualifier for the U.S. team last month in Richmond, so will be one of the six American men running in the event. Colley finished just four seconds behind Emmanuel Bor, who competed collegiately for the University of Alabama and now represents the U.S. Army.
“This is a tough course,” ZAP Endurance head coach Pete Rea reported to High Country Sports by telephone on Feb. 17, the day before the event, as he and Colley surveyed the course. “The elevation change is only about 190 feet, but the race directors were told by World Athletics to ‘make it tough’ and they followed through on that request for this two-kilometer circuit. If you grew up on a farm running on pasture land, you will be right at home because much of the course is uneven.”
Set in the middle of Bathurst’s Mount Panorama motor racing track, the 2-kilometer circuit is fast, but hard, too. According to Rea, there is an 11 percent climb at one point, in addition to what amounts to a mud pit and some 50 meters of amounts to a sand pit. Anyone who has tried running on the beach, off the water’s edge, will know what that is like.
“I am pretty sure the course will live up to its billing as being a tough course,” said Rea.
According to the 2023 World Cross Country Championships event program information, more than 12,000 athletes from 175 countries have competed in the event over the years, with five countries having competed in all 43 events. Those five include France, Great Britain/Northern Ireland, Italy, Spain, and the United States. The largest event was in 2000, when the event was hosted in Vilamoura, Portugal, with 806 athletes from 76 countries.
Other event notes:
The most medals won by an individual country is 320 by Kenya, followed by Ethiopia’s 271 and 63 by the U.S.
Kenya has won at least one gold medal in ever event since 1986.
The closest finish was in the 1973 senior men’s race when Pekka Paivarenta of Finland finished just one-tenth of a second ahead of Spain’s Mariano Haro.
Sweeps of all four individual titles have been by Kenya in 1994 and 2010, as well as by Ethiopia in 2008.
The youngest ever competitor is Su Su-Ning of Chinese Taipei, who was 12 years old when she placed 119th in the 1991 Under 20 women’s race. Current regulations prevent anyone younger than 16 from competing.
The oldest champion and medalist is New Zealand’s Jack Foster in 1975, when he was 42 years, 297 days old.
The World Cross Country Championships have been hosted in a variety of countries since first staged in Belgium, in 1973. They include stops in Italy, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Spain, the U.S., China, Portugal, Switzerland, Poland, New Zealand, Norway, Hungary, South Africa, Japan, Kenya, Uganda, and Denmark — and some countries multiple times.
The Senior Men’s race in which Colley is scheduled to run is set for 1 p.m. on Feb. 18, in Australia, which if our calculations are correct, is approximately 9:00 p.m. on Feb. 17 in North Carolina.
The World Athletics website suggests that the race may be watched on CNBC and Peacock, or livestreamed on the World Athletics YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/worldathletics.
