Mavs, Lady Mavs strong at Mounds
Anderson County junior Cameron Hardy leads a pack of runners during the cross country meet on Saturday. (photo:Tony Cox )
Both the Mavericks and Lady Mavericks finished fourth in the team standings.
The Lady Mavs had two runners place inside the Top 10, led by newcomer Jordan Walker, who finished fourth in 20 minutes, 32.50 seconds. Rebekah Berg claimed 10th with a time of 21:04.70.
Walker has quickly made an impression on the trails.
“She was with us in track last year, and joined cross country this season,” Anderson County Coach Mollie Fox said. “She played soccer last year, and she’s definitely been a surprise — but she deserves it because she works really hard.”
Sydney Day finished 29th (23:32.20), Emma Owens placed 38th (24:44.80), and Rachel Garbes rounded out the Lady Mavs’ top five in 53rd (26:26.90).
One notable absence for Anderson County was senior Ava Moody, the defending Class A/AA state champion. Instead, Moody was competing at the prestigious Virginia Invitational, where she placed 12th against a national-caliber field with an impressive time of 17:21.
“We were able to send Ava to the Virginia Invitational and she did well,” Fox said. “She was running against some of the best runners in the country, and we’re really proud of her.”
In the boys’ race, John Cutler led the Mavericks with a fifth-place finish (16:40.30), while Cameron Hardy followed close behind in seventh (16:54.50). Avian Laster took 27th (18:54.90), Toby Day 41st (19:59.10), and Benson Skidmore 49th (20:37.10).
“We had some good performances for the boys,” Fox said. “John had a good day — he’s led us all year — and Cam has been fighting an injury, but he’s right back up there with John.”