Runners finish season at state cross country meet

November 16, 2009 — CFISD cross country athletes completed their successful fall seasons at the UIL Cross Country Championships in Round Rock on Saturday.

The Cy-Fair High School girls’ team placed fifth overall in the team race with 112 points, finishing behind Kingwood (55), The Woodlands College Park (85), Southlake Carroll (102) and The Woodlands (110).

The Bobcats were led by freshmen Katie Boane (11:49.27), Faith Banker (11:50.03) and Lauren Fritz (11:50.03), who finished in ninth, 11th and 12th place, respectively. Rounding out Cy-Fair’s top five effort were: sophomore Karen Hunsicker, 32nd place, 12:12.82; sophomore Katherine Wright, 48th place, 12:28.41; junior Madeline Livergood, 49th place, 12:29.87; and freshman Haley Culpepper, 61st place; 12:43.99.

“I’m really proud of the way the girls ran on Saturday. We didn’t have anyone on the roster with previous state experience, but they ran like they had been there before and we came within 10 points of the podium,” said Cy-Fair coach Tom Kennedy. “I think this is a very solid foundation for the girls to build on for next year. It is a great time to be a Bobcat runner.”

CFISD’s other girls’ competitor, Cypress Creek sophomore Leslie Schilsky, placed 34th with a time of 12:02.73.

In the boys’ race, Cypress Woods High School sophomore Craig Nowak placed 15th overall with a time of 15:46.22.

“Going into the race, our goal was for Craig to place in the top 15, and he went for it. He was sitting about 23rd with about 800 meters to go and he really had a strong finish to get 15th,” said Cypress Woods coach Greg Zarate. “Craig is a great finisher and we knew that, but we went out there knowing that he was going to have to start faster than he is normally used to, and I feel that he did it very well and responded to the challenge. Craig is a very smart and gutsy runner; he is a fighter and I definitely look forward to seeing what he does over the next two years."

CFISD’s final competitor, Cypress Creek High School senior Richard Renteria, placed 40th with a time of 16:23.32.