Plant sweeps boys and girls county cross country crowns

Posted Oct 28, 2009 by Bill Ward

Updated Oct 28, 2009 at 12:40 AM

Aided by the return of senior Trenor Wilkins, Plant’s boys won Tuesday’s Hillsborough County Cross Country Championships at Lake Park.

Wilkins has been out of action the entire season due to stress fractures in both lower legs but he’s stayed in shape during the down time by swimming and aqua jogging in the pool. Two weeks ago, he was able to run every other day and Tuesday marked his first race of the season, where he finished 11th overall and was the Panthers’ No. 2 man behind seventh-place Bo Nalsen. With two runners either hurt or sick on Plant’s varsity, Wilkins was needed Tuesday in order for the Panthers to overcome strong challenges from Newsome and Chamberlain.

Chamberlain had three in the top 10—winner Mark Parrish, fourth-place Max del Monte and ninth-place Jake Covington—but it wasn’t enough to beat Plant or Newsome. The Panthers had 77 points, Newsome scored 97 and Chamberlain had 107. Parrish covered the 5k course in 15:53, fending off a challenge from Berkeley Prep star Tyler Greathouse, who wound up third in 16:25. Robinson’s Bryan Garcia caught Greathouse with a half mile to go and earned second in 16:17.

On the girls side, Plant took the team title with 45 points. It was an impressive total considering the Panthers star runner, Lizzie Goodwin, dropped out with breathing problems and sophomore standout Molly Harry is still bothered by lingering effects of the swine flu. The Panthers got a big lift from freshmen Caroline Gibson and Julia Rodriguez, who went 2-3, and Stephanie Choate, who was ninth.

The individual winner was Newsome freshman Brianna Jackson, who took control of the race at the midway point and was never challenged again. She came across the finish line in a personal best of 19:37, a second ahead of Gibson.  Considering she could hardly run a few minutes in the Florida heat after moving here earlier this year from the Chicago area, Jackson has come a long way to become county champion.

Defending champion Wharton, led by fifth-place Abby Ritter, were second with 94 points and Newsome (98) was third.

For an extensive photo gallery of the meet with shots of most of the top finishers in the boys and girls races, follow this link: http://www2.tbo.com/photoalbum/2009/oct/28/2009-hillsborough-county-cross-country-championships/

Photo: In his first meet of the season following an injury, Plant senior Trenor Wilkins finished 11th to help the Panthers win Tuesday’s Hillsborough County Cross Country Championsahips. Photo by Bill Ward.