Prospector cross country teams compete at district championships

Published 12:21 pm Tuesday, October 30, 2018

The Grant Union Prospector boys varsity cross country team placed fifth at Friday’s 2A/1A Special District 3 Championship meet held at Pendleton Community Park.

Grant Union finished with 149 points, just 4 points behind Griswold.

Prospectors Tanner Elliott and Braden Spencer each ran season bests, and Elliott placed first among team members for the first time in competition this season.

The Union boys placed first, with Heppner in second and Stanfield in third.

For the boys junior varsity runners, Cole Ashley set a personal record.

The Grant Union varsity girls placed seventh out of eight teams in the 3A/2A/1A Special District 3.

Burns placed first, followed by Enterprise in second and Union third.

Prospector girls Samantha Buckhaults and Rylee Browning each set personal records.

“We trained harder this year, and the athletes found they were able to push themselves and hold their pace longer,” said Grant Union head coach Sonna Smith. “We accomplished our goal of moving up in our placing, teamwise, and have set new goals to run more consistently in the offseason to come in next fall at the level we left at the end of the season.”

Grant Union last ran with a full girls team at districts in 2016, which was the first time in 20 years, Smith said.

Smith led the teams with help from assistant coach Brandon Smith.

Grant Union boys varsity

Tanner Elliott, 28th,19:54.8

Jacob Smith, 31st, 20:10.8

Gage Brandon, 33rd, 20:18.5

Mason Gerry, 36th,20:46.3

Jesse Randleas, 40th, 21:15.6

Braden Spencer, 42nd, 21:22.5

Donavan Smith, 47th, 22:14.8

Grant Union girls varsity

Erika Dickens, 27th, 22:56.5, season record

Rylee Browning, 32nd, 23:36.5, season record

Tiler Voigt, 58th, 26:50.2

Makenna Culley, 73rd, 29:11.8

Sammi Buckhaults, 76th, 32:16.4

Grant Union boys junior varsity

Eli Sheedy, 10th place, 21:15.6

Cole Ashley,16th place, 24:24.9, personal record