Vikes' Burrell wins individual crown at Seaman Invitational

By RICK PETERSON

The Capital-Journal

Yes, Shauna Burrell was happy to pick up a victory Saturday in the Seaman Invitational cross country meet at Shawnee North Park.

The only thing that would have made the Seaman senior happier would have been if Washburn Rural senior starndout Cate Holston had been in the field.

Holston missed the race because of illness, a fact Burrell didn't realize until she was about halfway through the two-mile girls race.

"I didn't know until about the mile mark, until someone yelled at me that Holston wasn't here," Burrell said. "I had been waiting for her.

"I know she sometimes holds back at the beginning of the race, but I expected her to be up there by the mile mark and she still wasn't there."

When she finally realized that, Burrell concentrated on staying with Northern Heights senior Janice Yingst and Leavenworth sophomore Amy Hastings until she made her move with about a half-mile remaining.

After taking the lead, Burrell took control down the stretch, winning in 11 minutes, 37.3 seconds. Yingst was second in 11:43.3 and Hastings was third in 11:55.8.

"I just took off and tried to distance myself from them," Burrell said. "I think Cate would have pushed me a lot more. We're very competitive in track and cross country."

Lawrence-Free State, ranked fourth in Class 6A, claimed the girls team title with 43 points, easily outdistancing runner-up Olathe East, which had 86 points. Northern Heights was third with 89, followed by Seaman with 129.

Viking sophomore Jessica Barrand also posted a top-10 individual finish, placing 10th in a time of 12:42.3.

Free State placed three runners in the top 10: junior Jackie Dubois, fifth, (12:18.6); senior Betsy Lee, sixth (12:25.9); and junior Sarah Underwood, seventh (12:29.2).

Emporia, fourth-ranked in 6A, won the boys championship by a 53- 71 margin over Seaman (No. 3 in 5A). The Spartans were led by senior Tyson Edwards, who won the individual title in 16:27.1 over the five- kilometer course. The Spartans also got a fifth-place finish from junior Jose Sotelo in 17:04.3.

Edwards was followed by a pair of Washburn Rural runners, senior Matt Smith, second in 16:47.0, and sophomore Matt Swedlund, third in 16:51.8. Rural finished third in the team race with 83 points, giving the Centennial League a sweep of the top three places.

Junior Bret Pottorf paced Seaman with a sixth-place finish in 17:15.9 and senior Chris Dodds was eighth in 17:18.7.

"We ran OK, but we can still run better," veteran Seaman coach Bob Camien said. "We're looking for a consistent No. 1 man and we're looking for a fifth man."

BOYS

Team scores

Emporia 53, Seaman 71, Washburn Rural 83, Lawrence-Free State 98, Shawnee Heights 112, Northern Heights 114, Leavenworth 153, Olathe East 188, Topeka High 240, Mission Valley 269.

Individual results

1. Edwards, Emp, 16:27.1; 2. Smith, WR, 16:47.0; 3. Swedlund, WR, 16:51.8; 4. Paul, Law-FS, 17:02.0; 5. Sotelo, Emp, 17:04.3; 6. Pottorf, Sea, 17:15.9; 7. Johnson, NH, 17:16.7; 8. Dodds, Sea, 17:18.7; 9. Frank, NH, 17:25.4; 10. Brunfield, Law-FS, 17:26.6.

GIRLS

Team scores

Lawrence-Free State 43, Olathe East 86, Northern Heights 89, Seaman 129, Leavenworth 133, Mission Valley 172, Topeka High 174, Shawnee Heights 192, Emporia 196, Washburn Rural 203.

Individual results

1. Burrell, Sea, 11:37.3; 2. Yingst, NH, 11:43.3; 3. Hastings, Leav, 11:55.8; 4. Van Gundy, NH, 12:00.1; 5. Dubois, Law-FS, 12:18.6; 6. Lee, Law-FS, 12:25.9; 7. Underwood, Law-FS, 12:29.2; 8. Bessler, OE, 12:36.4; 9. Spencer, MV, 12:37.8; 10. Barrand, Sea, 12:42.3.

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