Chiang, Adams, Schaudel head to state XC champs

By Randy Lefko

Posted 10/26/17

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Chiang, Adams, Schaudel head to state XC champs

Orange Park Junior High eighth grader Mei Chiang blasts away from field at the FLYRA Middle School state qualifier at Bishop Kenny on Saturday. Chiang won race and is a top seed for the October 28 state middle school cross country championships in Lakeland.

Green Cove Springs runner Grace Adams pushes to finish third in state qualifier.

Posted Wednesday, October 25, 2017 12:00 pm

By Randy Lefko

JACKSONVILLE – Three area junior high school cross country runners; Orange Park Junior High’s Mei Chiang and Green Cove Springs Junior High teammate Grace Adams and Lauren Schaudel all geared up for their October 28 FLYRA Middle School Cross Country Championships with top 10 finishes at the North Florida JV Champs 2017 Cross Country race held Saturday at Bishop Kenny High School.

Chiang, an eighth grader, took top honors with a blowout win in 11 minutes, 32 seconds; nearly 30 seconds in front of runnerup Viola Barquilla, an eighth grader from Providence.

Third place went to Adams in 11:55, just two seconds off Barquilla’s time and 38 seconds ahead of Schaudel who came in at seventh in 12:33. Adams started out in a second pack of runners through the first mile and slowly worked her way into contention for the 100 meter track finish at Bishop Kenny. Four girls, including Anouk Victor, of the St. Johns Striders, broke 12 minutes for the 3K (1.7 miles) course.

In team points, Assumption Catholic won with 20 points with runners finishing in second through sixth. Green Cove Springs had just four runners and did not score. Oakleaf Junior High placed third led by eighth and ninth place finishes by Madison Wade and Taylor Silkert in 13:11 and 13:15, respectively. The top seven runners were running as non-team scoring athletes.

Chiang, Adams and Schaudel all qualified for the October 28 FLYRA Middle School State Championship race to be held at Lakeland’s Holloway Park.

In 2016, Chiang finished 10th in 11:39 at the state championship race.

Green Cove Springs qualified also as a team.

In the September 15 state meet qualifier held at Episcopal High School, Chiang won with a 12:02 split with Barquilla just eight seconds off the mark in second.

In the boys junior high race, won by Providence in team points, and by St. Johns Strider Rheinhardt Harrison in 10:23, Oakleaf Junior High edged out Green Cove Springs 129-140 in team points. Oakleaf was led by a 15th place finish from seventh grader Jose Grullon in 11:43 and an 18th place from Garrett McQuaid, an eighth grader, in 11:53.

Green Cove Springs was led by Ryan Switzer, a seventh grader, who took 16th in11:51 and seventh grader Keegan Emanuel in 26th at 12:21.

Wilkinson’s boys team took 11th with Kole Mussante, a seventh grader, top finisher at 46th in 13:25 and Blake Barfield, an eighth grader, at 56th in 14:10.