With four in top 10, Hornets capture conference crown
EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the look back at each day in Bryant athletic history has been so favorably received during the time when there was no sports during the COVID-19 shutdown, BryantDaily.com will continueposting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
Photos courtesy of Jason Majors
CABOT — The Bryant Hornets overcame windy and warm conditions at Rolling Hills Country Club to bring home the 7A-East/Central Cross Country Championship on Monday. The Hornets scored a total of 34 points to take the title over runner-up Catholic High (57 points). Cabot (106), North Little Rock (109), Van Buren (116), Conway (130), and Little Rock Central completed the teams who competed.
Charlie Terry paced the Hornets with a runner-up finish in a time of 16:23. Kieran Taylor of Catholic was the individual champion in a time of 16:07. Also earning All-Conference honors with their top 10 finishes were John Carder (6th in 17:26), Connor Wilson (7th in 17:39), and Ben Majors (8th in 17:46).
Rounding out the Hornets’ top seven were Nicholas Schmidt (11th in 17:54), Decatur Austin (13th in 18:02), and Jhorman Cruz (16th in 18:06).
“I couldn’t be happier for this group of young men,” stated Bryant coach Steve Oury. “They worked very hard to give themselves a chance to win this meet, so it was very satisfying to see the hard work pay off. This is the deepest team I’ve ever coached and, on a hot day, that depth really comes in handy. We had some good runners struggle today but then we had some other guys pick up the slack, which is what good teams do.
“Charlie Terry ran his best race of the season, and our pack did exactly what they were supposed to do, which was to put as many runners as possible between Catholic’s second and third runners,” he continued. “John Carder, Connor Wilson, Ben Majors, and Nicholas Schmidt really did a great job of working together. We also had a couple of freshmen, Decatur Austin and Jhorman Cruz, step up in the sixth and seventh spots and give us a boost.
“It was a great day to be a Bryant Hornet,” the coach concluded. “We are thrilled for Coach (Danny) Westbrook’s girls team in their victory. Now we have to start getting ready for the State meet on Nov. 8 in Hot Springs. I’m thankful to all our coaches, including intern Coach Caleb Parker and Coach Debbie Clark, along with all of the parents who support our program.”
