Dylan Hartley and Kaitlyn Schutt won the individual Class A titles at the Murphysboro Invite Wednesday afternoon, leading the Benton boys to a fourth place finish and girls to a seventh place finish in the team standings.
Hartley ran a 16;23 to edge Sparta’s Wade Reeves (16:25) for the title. Hartley’s teammate Justin Massey pulled off a Top 5 finish, taking fifth in 16:56.
Schutt ran a 19:51 to easily defeat Carterville’s Joanna Bean, who was second with a time of 20:03. Chelsea Tabor finished in the Top 20, taking 17th place in 24:56.
Schutt was the leader for the first two miles, but slipped behind Bean and Carbondale’s Lacey Gibson in the third mile. Schutt, though, used her kick to pull away in the final 50 meters. Gibson won the Class 2A title in 19:52.
Hartley pulled the same trick in the boys race, using a strong kick to ease past Reeves in the final 50 meters.
“We felt Kaitlyn ran a smart race and did a couple of things which allowed her to win,” Benton coach Rod Shurtz said. “Number one, she stayed in close contact with the Carterville and Carbondale runners with half a mile to go.
Number two, she used her sprint speed down the stretch to carry her to victory in the last 50 meters.
“And, if it wasn’t exciting enough to witness Kaitlyn’s win at the end of her race, Dylan Hartley pulls off the same feat in the boys’ race,” he continued. “We thought Dylan ran one of his more strategic races as he out-kicked Sparta’s top runner in the final 50 meters of the race.
Reeves had beaten Dylan last Saturday at Edwardsville, so this was a nice victory. These two guys will push one another, are great competitors, and will go head-to-head all season long. Those races will be fun to watch.”
Jennifer Adams was 36th in 27:55, Taylor Hathcoat finished 47th in 31:13 and Bailey Wynn was 52nd in 36:31 for Benton’s girls.
“Our other girls also ran really well today,” Shurtz said. “Chelsea Tabor and Jennifer Adams improved their effort and times, as did Taylor Hathcoat and Bailey Wynn. These five girls are tough and lay it on the line every day in practice. They work well together and will continue to improve.”
Tyler Thompson (34, 20:13), Nick Price (40, 21:06), Ethan Richardson (51, 22:21), Daniel Krug (55, 23:43) and Andrew Brown (63, 25:00) rounded out Benton’s boys varsity runners.
“Justin Massey ran another fantastic race as he finished fifth overall on the boys’ side,” said Shurtz. “Justin enjoys running and loves to compete. He is learning so much about the sport in such a short time. His work ethic is hard to match and he is going to make a name for himself in Cross Country.
