West, Bostrom race to Top 10 in Maryville
-
Clinton sophomore Lilian West pushes toward the finish at the Maryville Scots Opener on Saturday at Maryville College. West led the Lady Dragons with a Top 10 finish, crossing the line in 24 minutes, 46 seconds to place 10th. - Tony Cox
-
Clinton freshman Joe Patton pushes through the course during his high school cross-country debut at the Maryville Scots Opener on Saturday, Aug. 22, at Maryville College. - Tony Cox
Heat, humidity and hills greeted Clinton High School’s cross-country runners Saturday morning, but two Dragons battled through the conditions to leave the Maryville College campus with Top 10 finishes.
Sophomore Lilian West and senior Cooper Bostrom each finished 10th at the Maryville Scots Opener on Aug. 22, giving Clinton a strong showing against a competitive field.
West completed the girls race in 24 minutes, 46 seconds, improving on her performance on the course last season.
“I think it’s definitely good for the start of the season,” West said. “Last year, my time was 25-something, and this year it was 24:46. So I’m definitely happy with that.”
Despite the demanding terrain, West said the hills added to the experience.
“I think this course is very beautiful and fun to run because of all the hills,” she said. “And I think it’s just nice to see all these people here.”
West already has her sights set on the postseason.
“I think I’m actually looking forward to going to regionals,” she said.
Bostrom crossed the finish line in 18:55, also good for 10th place. With the temperature around 80 degrees and humidity at 90%, conditions were challenging, but Bostrom said Clinton’s afternoon workouts had him prepared.
“We’ve been doing all of our training at like 4 p.m. in 94-degree heat, so really, this was a vacation for me,” Bostrom said. “It doesn’t mean I didn’t push hard. It was all I had.”
Bostrom hoped to run about 30 seconds faster but was encouraged by his improvement from last season.
“I raced well, though, compared to my competitors,” he said. “I outlasted most of them.”
Clinton Coach Tim Kumes said training in East Tennessee’s afternoon heat and humidity is intentional.
“The quicker we can get into the humidity, the better they’re going to be in the early part of the season,” Kumes said. “If you can get close to race conditions even early in the season, which means afternoon running, the better off we’re going to be.”
Kumes also was encouraged by his young girls team, particularly newcomers Caroline Jones and Adah Freels.
“Caroline is brand new to the sport. Adah is brand new to the sport,” Kumes said. “We just have to give them a little bit of time to grow and get depth of training.”