By Blake Colston
Sports Editor
Another meet, another brilliant performance from Piedmont’s cross country teams.
A week after both varsity lineups took a breather for the pre-state meet, they returned to the course at the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival in Fayetteville, Ark., on the campus of the University of Arkansas.
The meet featured some of the region and nation’s top teams, so Piedmont’s 10th place finish (in a field of 60 teams) in the boys race elated seventh-year head coach Kelly Beck.
“I’m extremely happy. I was hoping we’d be near the top 10,” he said. “To get there is pretty amazing.”
Tanner Bailey paced the Wildcats as he has all season and broke his own school record in the process by finishing in 15:43. That was good for 21st overall.
Dade Humes was next across for Piedmont in 57th place in a time of 16:10. That was 20 seconds lower than his previous personal record.
Piedmont’s girls, meanwhile, were 17th out of 60 teams. They were led by Lily Scheck, who set a school record by 29 seconds with a time of 19:30. She finished 55th.
“From the get-go, she got after it,” Beck said.
Aubrey Bray and Emily Caldwell each set personal best times, too.
