Soggy conditions highlight St. Thomas cross country opener

ST. THOMAS - The St. Thomas-St. John IAA cross-country season started Tuesday as more than 150 elementary, junior varsity and varsity runners charged the grassy hills near the University of the Virgin Islands for the first of five meets this season.

"The weather was really not in our favor," St. Thomas-St. John IAA Cross Country commissioner Therese Hodge said. "We were lucky it broke just in time to get the races in. The Gomez kids could not make it because it was raining so hard near them, but they will be back next week."

Hodge said 16 schools were represented in the combined three races.

Charlotte Amalie High School's Shirvel Luke picked up right where she left off last year and won the girls varsity 3.1-mile race in 23 minutes and 18 seconds. She was followed closely by Kesheema Fleming of Eudora Kean at 23:30, and CAHS' Shenequa Maynard at 27:14.

One of the rising stars on the cross country scene is Kean High's Ateniah Roacher, who took the boys varsity 3.1-mile race in 19:41. The CAHS duo of Ismael Gonzalez (21:05.7) and Lukata Samuel (21:05.9) took second and third, respectively.

The junior varsity runners raced a 2-mile course as Montessori School's Talisse Thompson finished in 15:16 and took top honors for the girls. CAHS runners Hydia Hazel (16:17) and Delma Luke (17:23) were not too far behind.

Two Gifft Hill runners - Evan Jones and Luke Patrie - were the first two finishers in the boys junior varsity race. Jones clocked in at 13:34 and Patrie finished in 14:49, while Cancryn's Ahmed Joseph was third in 14:53.

Muller's Britany Leonard (6:44) and Abraham's Jen'Coy Blaize (6:30) won the elementary 1-mile races.

The next St. Thomas-St. John IAA cross-country meet will be at 4 p.m. on Tuesday at UVI. For more information, email Hodge at therese10k@yahoo.com.

St. Croix cross-country season starts

The 4H-V.I. Pace Runners Cross-Country Series 2012 kicked off Wednesday at UVI and more than 200 runners from 17 schools competed in three races that included elementary boys and girls (one mile), junior varsity boys and girls (two miles) and varsity/open boys and girls (3.1 miles).

Central High School's Edie Hughes was the overall winner in 20:51. Curtis Walker of Country Day School took second in 22:23, and Alexander Washington was third in 22:25 in the varsity/open boys division.

Country Day's Jazmine Wilock was the first girls finisher in 27:24. Educational Complex High School's Karen Dascent was runner-up in 28:17, and her teammate Alile Browne was third in 28:22.

Malique Smith of Educational Complex took first place in junior varsity boys division and won the 2-mile race in 11:56. Stefanie Mathew, also from Complex, took the junior varsity girls title in 16:50. The elementary school runners raced one mile as Mikeala Smith of Good Shepherd continued her winning ways with a 6:42 finish. Ricardo Richard School's Phaii Merchant won the boys race in 6:34.

The next race on St. Croix is at 4 p.m. today at UVI.

The 4H-V.I. Pace Runners Cross Country Series is hosted by the 4H Program of the Cooperative Extension Service of the UVI St. Croix Campus. It is organized by the St. Croix Track Club and the V.I. Pace Runners and sanctioned by the USVI Track and Field Federation.

Complete results can be viewed online at http://virginislandspace.org/crosscountryresultsrace12012.pdf.

- Contact sports writer Aaron Gray at 714-9102 or email agray@dailynews.vi.

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