FAYETTEVILLE — Two Bryant Cross Country runners competed in the annual Arkansas vs. Oklahoma All-Star Meet on Saturday in Fayetteville. Lady Hornet Hannah Raney was part of a victorious Arkansas squad, placing 38th in a time of 21:33. The Arkansas girls team, coached by Bryant girls coach Danny Westbrook, scored a convincing 60-131 victory over the Oklahoma girls.
Each team's top nine runners were scored, instead of the traditional five runners used in most meets.
In the boys race, Bryant's Luke Lindsley placed 32nd in a time of 17:16, but it wasn't enough as the Oklahoma boys team earned a narrow 85-90 victory over the Arkansas squad, which was coached by Bryant boys coach Steve Oury. There were a total of 67 finishers in the boys race.[more]
Each squad consisted of 25 runners, plus several non-scoring alternates ran from both states.
Said Westbrook, “Hannah had a great season and this was a nice way to cap it off. She set the senior high school record for cross country and she is only a ninth grader. She has three more opportunities to qualify for the all-star meet, so that is definitely a goal.
“It was nice to pick up the second victory in a row in this series, which Arkansas has never done,” he added. “I told the ladies we are starting a streak, and it would be nice to keep in going next season."
Oury commented, “Luke had a breakout season and showed that he is one of the top runners in the state. Now it will be fun to see how he does in track season. He is a hard worker and he was very deserving of participation in the all-star meet.
“It would have been nice if we could have picked up the victory for Arkansas,” he continued, “but we were missing a couple of the best runners in the state. We competed hard but came up a little short."
