BURLINGTON For the third straight year, the Pioneer League boys and girls cross country crowns are heading to Iola.
The Mustangs and Fillies swooped down on the league meet in Burlington Thursday night and left with their hands full of medals and a boys and girls league title.
This is the third-straight year that the girls have taken home gold and fifth-straight year for the boys. It is the 16th league title for the boys under head coach Marv Smith and the sixth for the girls.
Rain and the upcoming regional race next week forced the Burlington officials to reroute their normal course, adjusting it from 3.1 kilometers to 2.92 kilometers. The middle school race was also shortened from 2 miles to 1.92 miles.
Because of that, most everyone put up season-best times in the race.
The Iola girls were dominant in their win, scooping up eight of the 15 available medals including six top-10 finishes. Runners who finished in the top-10 also earned first-team all-league honors while 11 of 15 earned second-team honors.
Elka Billings came out strong again and cake-walked through the race, placing first with a time of 19:02. The second-place runner finished 16 seconds behind her.
Elysia Kunkler crossed the finish line in fourth place with a time of 19:41. Ursula Billings finished sixth with a time of 19:52, followed in consecutive order with Rachel Bycroft in seventh (20:32), Josie Plumlee in eighth (21:01) and Averie Sharon in ninth (21:18).
Madisyn Holloway finished 11th with a time of 21:18 and Elanie Sturgeon finished 14th with a time of 21:27.
After missing several races due to injury, Kelsey Morrison rebounded in a big way, missing a top-15 finish by just a second. She ended up 17th with a time of 21:39.
THE BOYS thought they faced a steep challenge with host Burlington after their top two runners placed first and second in last years league meet.
Jack Adams and Cole Regehr were unfazed by the Wildcats and left them in the dust as they both sped past the finish line in first and second place.
Adams ran the race in 16:15 and Regehr finished just four seconds after with a time of 16:19.
Bret Plumlee crossed for fifth place with a time of 16:33 and Elijah Fawson finished around 40 seconds later with a time of 17:10.
Trenton Varney was 15th with a time of 17:26 followed by Tavon Bass in 17th at 17:29 and Riley Jay in 19th at 17:36 to finish out the varsity.
THE EIGHTH-GRADE boys also snagged the Pioneer League title led by Kaster Trabuc who finished first with a time of 10:48. Eli Adams finished behind him in fifth with a time of 11:14 and Jesse Taylor rounded out the medal winners with an eighth-place finish at 11:43.
