Team takes 3rd; boys earn 6th place

It was a stellar performance day for the T.R. Miller Cross Country teams Saturday was they competed for a state time in Cullman. The girls finished third overall, while the boys earned a sixth place finish.

Coach Rob Atkinson praised his teams’ performances, which included personal record times for all but two participating athletes.

“These are probably the best teams I’ve ever coached here at TRM, and (Saturday’s) results proved how hard these athletes have worked all season,” Atkinson said. “The girls had an outstanding day, coming in third. And our boys, to finish sixth in their group, all of that is something to be very proud of.”

Junior Allie Nelson brought home a second place overall finish with a time of 19:07 behind Montgomery Academy’s Tara Katz’s 18:46.7.

Members of the girls’ team came across the finish line in less than 24 minutes, Atkinson said.

“This is a young team, and I am excited to see what next year holds,” he said.

TRM finished five points behind second place winner American Christian Academy and 17 points behind first place finisher Pleasant Valley High School. Montgomery Academy and Cottage Hill Christian finished out the top five of the 12 teams competing.

In the boys’ competition, the first place win went to Ash Midyett, a Bayside Academy senior, with a time of 16:23:16. TRM’s Travis Carlson, the first boy across the line for the team, came in 25th with a time of 17:47.40.

“And that goes to show you how close the boys race is,” Atkinson said. “This is the first time we’ve taken a boys’ team to state in a number of years because competition is tough.

”(Carlson) has had tremendous year for us, but this boys’ team is young, too,” he said. “We’ve got some athletes that are coming up, so I’m expecting great things from them in the future as well.”

Of the 11 teams competing, ACA, MA, Cottage Hill Christian, PVHS and Winfield City High School rounded out the top five.