Landen Eyre captures title as Whiteoak cross-country competes at Unioto Invitational
Landen Eyre had the lead with about a mile remaining. (Submitted photos)
On Saturday, the Whiteoak Wildcats cross-country team competed at the Unioto Invitational, where junior Landen Eyre outpaced 277 other runners to take first place.
This invitational has been known as the ultimate test for the best cross-country runners in southern Ohio as the regular season nears its end and the league meets and postseason are next up.
Two-hundred and seventy eight runners toed the starting line, and it was full of the best runners in the district, and also Lancaster High School, which yielded the third-best team in Division I last year. The favorite to win, though, was Eyre.
Eyre entered the race undefeated in the Southeast District and one of the premier runners in the state of Ohio. The mighty Wildcat runner did not disappoint, and he blistered through the 3.16 mile course in an incredible 15 minutes and 28 seconds.
Coach Doug Hughes added to the story.
“He came in ready, but you never know what's going to happen,” Hughes said. “With 2.1 miles remaining, he got spiked hard by another runner and tore off his left shoe. Adrenaline obviously kicked in to help, and he found a way to take the lead and finish off the impressive win, but it definitely made things more challenging, not to mention painful. I'd guess it cost him 6-8 seconds of time throughout the rest of the race. He was cut up pretty good, and hopefully he's OK for tomorrow's workout and his weekly routine.”
Eyre wasn't alone, though, as teammate Weston Blair also ran a personal best and paced himself to a sixth-place finish and a time of 16:06.
Hughes added, "Weston is a senior and has had huge athletic accomplishments over his years, but the best is yet to come. This is the hardest he's ever worked, and his progress is showing and he looks like he's going to peak at the perfect time. The next four Saturdays could be a very memorable time in his life."
Whiteoak had six other high school runners, and all had the personal best time for the season or their second best. Shawn Mitchell-Cox ran a 20:26; Jake Ward with a career-best 20:31; Austin Richards, 20:34; and Shane Mitchell-Cox, 22:17.
On the girls’ side, Addy Hauke finished at 23:19 and Lexi Taylor, 28:16.
Whiteoak will compete in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference Championship next Saturday at Ripley.
