By Jon Gremmels
Herald Sports Editor
October 17, 2008 09:53 am
—
CLINTON — Grace Shemwell is looking to finish the girls cross country season on a high note and carry that success into her senior season.
“It would be great if Hattie (teammate Hattie Buikema) and I go to state,” Shemwell, a junior at Clinton High, said. “The past couple of years I had been running in the first pack. After being lazy all winter and summer, I was in the second pack this year.”
Shemwell just missed joining her senior teammate (Buikema) on the all-conference second team with a 15th-place finish in 16 minutes, 19.1 seconds Thursday afternoon at the Mississippi Athletic Conference girls cross country meet at Emma Young Park. The top seven finishers earn first-team honors, the next seven second-team accolades.
“I think it’s a confidence booster knowing I can look ahead and see the front of the race,” Shemwell said.
One of the runners she saw ahead of her was Buikema, who placed ninth in 16:01.0.
“My best (time this year) was about a 16:00, 15:59,” Buikema said, adding that it was one of the best races she has run this year. “I was trying for the top eight, but I’m still happy with that.”
Buikema settled into the second group of runners and stayed with them throughout the race.
“I thought they would try to battle it out between the three (leaders) and I would try to stay in the next group behind them,” Buikema said.
Anne Martin of Pleasant Valley took the lead at about the mile mark in the front pack with Davenport Assumption’s Mary Menster and Davenport North’s Kelsey Regan. Martin started separating from the other two in the next half mile and won the 4,000-meter race in 15:04, almost 15 seconds ahead of Menster (15:17.9), with Regan taking third in 15:29.9.
“I like to kind of push it the whole race; I like to keep a steady pace,” Martin said. “I try to rely on myself. If they run with me, that’s even better.
“It’s a really great feeling, but I couldn’t get here without the coaches and my teammates. We were really excited for this race as a team.”
That’s understandable since the Spartans won with 40 points, 34 ahead of runner-up Bettendorf.
Clinton finished ninth in the team standings with 179 points. That’s about what coach Wes Golden said he expected with an inexperienced team around Buikema and Shemwell.
Now, Buikema and Shemwell will focus on next Thursday’s district meet with hopes of qualifying for state.
“It’s not over yet,” Buikema said. “I’ll try to get to the next stage and focus on districts. There will be a different group of girls. I’m feeling like I have a chance. I’ll try to stay up with the next group.”
MISSISSIPPI ATHLETIC CONFERENCE GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY MEET
Emma Young Park
VARSITY (4,000 meters)
Team standings — 1. Pleasant Valley 40; 2. Bettendorf 74; 3. Davenport Assumption 126; 4. Davenport West 131; 5. North Scott 150; 6. Muscatine 162; 7. Burlington 164; 8. Davenport Central 165; 9. Clinton 179; 10. Davenport North 189.
Individual leaders — 1. Anne Martin (PV) 15:04.0; 2. Mary Menster (DA) 15:17.9; 3. Kelsey Regan (DN) 15:29.9; 4. Kate Benge (PV) 15:38.2; 5. Rebecca Wilder (DC) 15:47.0; 6. Sam Cameron (Be) 15:52.3; 7. Alycia Thurston (DW) 15:53.3; 8. Marissa Diercks (PV) 15:57.8; 9. Hattie Buikema (Cl) 16:01.0; 10. Glenda Alison-Glaser (Be) 16:04.5; 11. Solveig Entwistle (Be) 16:04.9; 12. Maddie Moyer (Bu) 16:08.8; 13. Carly Johnson (PV) 16:09.4; 14. Kelsey Gantzer (PV) 16:17.5; 15. Grace Shemwell (Cl) 16:19.1; 16. Lindsay Brunson (M) 16:31.9; 17. Katie Froeschle (DA) 16:41.0; 18. Jessa Pierce (DW) 16:41.2; 19. Elizabeth Evans (DA) 16:41.9; 20. Hannah Rashid (Be) 16:44.8.
CLINTON — 9. Buikema 16:01.0; 15. Shemwell 16:19.1; 48. Julia Vodislav 17:42.9; 52. Megie Buikema 17:54.5; 55. Mareike Kirchemberger 18:03.6.
FRESHMEN-SOPHOMORES
Winning team — Pleasant Valley 21. Clinton did not have enough runners for a team score.
Winner — Kera Linn (PV) 16:51.0.
CLINTON — 18. Sarah Marston 19:29.6; 35. Tiera Johnson 25:05.8.
JUNIOR VARSITY
Winning team — Bettendorf 25. Clinton did not have enough runners for a team score.
Winner — Beth Volden (PV) 16:53.7.
CLINTON — 42. Sara Prins 19:21.7; 45. Kaelee Bousman 19:25.8.
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