PCHS Activities/Athletics

COVINGTON, Va. — Pulaski County’s cross country teams continued to make progress Saturday at the Alleghany XC Invitational, turning in a number of strong performances on the fast 5K course at Jackson River Sports Complex.

The meet gave the Cougars a chance to race a large regional field on one of the quicker courses they will see this season, and several runners took advantage by posting some of their best times of the year. 

Sophomore Nina Bucey-Card led the Pulaski County girls, finishing in 21:18.32. Senior Dani Carroll followed in 22:54.77, with freshman Brianna Farmer close behind in 22:55.78.

Freshman Katina Caldera crossed in 25:28.08, while freshman KayDee Decker finished in 26:18.56. Sophomore Kaylin Keiper rounded out the girls lineup.

Several of those performances represented significant improvement. Decker cut more than six minutes from an earlier 5K mark this season, while Caldera improved by more than four and a half minutes. Keiper also lowered her best by nearly a minute and a half, while Bucey-Card and Farmer both posted new personal-best 5K times.

With five of the six girls being underclassmen, Pulaski County finished 19th out of 28 scoring teams.

On the boys’ side, senior Jonah Morgan led the Cougars in 18:02.00, followed closely by sophomore Cecil Black in 18:10.60.

Sophomore Xander Sargent finished in 21:29.48, sophomore Mason Hayes ran 22:10.05, junior Daniel Eubanks crossed in 23:09.39, and freshman Caedon Sprague completed his first 5K in 27:20.03.

Black, Sargent and Eubanks all recorded new personal bests, with Eubanks dropping more than a minute from an earlier 5K performance this season.

The boys also featured a young lineup, with four sophomores and a freshman among the six runners, giving Pulaski County plenty of room to continue developing as the season moves forward.

More than anything, the meet was another sign of progress for a Cougar squad that continues to gain experience and improve as the season moves forward.

Pulaski County returns to action Wednesday at the East Mont Invitational at Camp Alta Mons in Shawsville.