Leary wins first county title
DAWSON – With the field of the Fayette County Coaches Association Cross Country Championship standing at 39 runners, it might be expected there would be a lot of jockeying for positions throughout the course. Those standing along the path at the start of the race Thursday afternoon at Frazier’s course at the Linden Hall Golf Course pretty much saw the order of finish because the Lady Commodores’ Rebecca Leary took the early lead and held on for her first county title in a time of 21:25.
The remainder of the field settled in from that point, and except for a position change or two, the rest of the all-county team was set early in the race.
Leary held a consistent edge over Connellsville’s Molly Mullaney throughout the race with the Connellsville senior eight seconds behind in second place.
“I thought there would be more people together,” said Leary. “I knew (Mullaney) was there. I helped me push harder. I told myself in the last ½-mile I have to go now.”
The little talk with herself helped to lower her personal best time by 22 seconds from a previous best of 21:47.
Mullaney was tantalizingly close throughout the race, but wasn’t quite able to make up the ground when she wanted to.
“(Leary) started out fast and I didn’t hang at the beginning,” said Mullaney, who was cheered on by former teammate Shannon Kovack, last year’s county champion now running at St. Francis (Pa.). “We were coming up the last hill and she slowed down a little bit, but I couldn’t catch her.
“I thought we’d be running in a big pack, five of us or so. I was running scared. I knew they were back there, but I didn’t know how far.”
As for her last county race, Mullaney added, “I’m happy with the day.”
Though small in stature and competing at a Class AA school, Brownsville’s Erika Coffey’s first run in the county meet was a memorable one with the Lady Falcon freshman finishing third with a time of 21:50.
“I knew who was going to be out in front and who I had to go with. I had to go out and run 110 percent,” said Coffey. “Everyone went out and ran a lot harder. I told myself ‘I needed to pick it up.’ I let them get too far ahead of me in the beginning.”
Laurel Highlands senior Rachel Perry was disappointed with her time, but her clocking of 22:01 was good enough for fourth place.
“I wanted a lower time. Flat finishes aren’t the best for me,” said Perry, who finished third in 2003. “No positions really changed after the first mile. I was catching up a little by little on the back. I haven’t run against Erika. She’s a good runner.”
As for running in her final county race, Perry said, “It’s heartbreaking, I guess. Man, I wanted to win this.”
The run for the team title began in earnest when a pair of Uniontown runners broke the tape. B.J. Brame and Michelle Naymick nearly crossed the finish line in stride with Brame fifth and Naymick sixth with the identical time of 22:30.
The race for the team championship was close with Uniontown winning with 54 points. Connellsville was second at 62 while Brownsville was a close third with 66 points.
“I was hoping for the top five,” said Brame. “I picked off the Geibel girl (Bethany Caldwell) on the back hill. I wanted to get a better time and place in the top five.”
Caldwell, who along with sister Samantha Caldwell comprised the Geibel contingent, overcame a disappointing junior year when she suffered a knee injury to finish on the all-county team in seventh place with a time of 22:24.
“I really had no idea about the runners because I’ve been running with the Greensburg Central Catholic team,” said Caldwell, who just missed her PR of 22:18. “I wish I could’ve had fifth, but I am pleased with myself.”
Brownsville’s Melissa Pancratz was eighth (22:38), followed by Uniontown’s Stacy Lloyd (22:46) and Candace Adams (22:55).
NOTES: Albert Gallatin’s Megan Bowers was one of two Lady Colonials in the field, finishing 32nd in a time of 26:14.