SOUTH CAROLINA STATE MEET

Jake Liebert Leads Wando Boys To Dominant 5A Victory

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

Wando junior Jake Liebert defended his SCHSL Class 5A cross country title on Thursday, Nov. 10 at Sandhills Research Center in Columbia, S.C.

Liebert ran the fastest time of the state meet, a blistering 15:13.92 to guide his team to a 5A state championship with 41 points. Wando nabbed three of the top four spots. Brendan Gomez and Tanner Jelliff both ran under 16 minutes. 

Led by eighth grader Kendra Miles’ third-place finish (18:59.86), Lexington placed four in the top 15 to win the 5A team championship. Fort Mills’ Alivia Cleveland, a freshman, won the 5A title in a time of 18:30.78. 

Justin Hefner of Bishop England won the 2A boys title in 16:00.13 Greer Middle College Charter repeated as state champs with 31 points with all five runners placing in the top 10.

Oceanside Collegiate Academy senior Siobhan Joyce won the 2A title in 18:55.58, by a margin of nearly 30 seconds. Bishop England won the state title with 40 points and had five placed in the top 15. 

The Christ Church girls prevented Dixie from defending its1A title, 49-51. Christ Church placed three in the top seven, while junior Nina Brown of St. Joseph’s won the race in 19:52.52. As a team, St. Joseph's was a close third with 55 points. 

The boys 1A race was similar to the girls, as the team competition was separated by one point with Brashier edging out Southside Christian 50-51. Individually, sophomore Grayson Gibbons of Southside easily won the race in 16:15.99, more than 30 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. 

4A-3A - Saturday, November 12

The Greenville girls and boys swept all the top spots on the podium on Saturday, November 12. The 4A and 3A races were pushed off until Saturday due to inclement weather. Greenville senior Caroline Lyerly led her team to a state title, winning in 18:31.67. The Greenville girls scored 42 points with four runners finishing in the top 15. The Greenville boys defended their title as they were paced by junior Knox Young’s victory in 15:58.59. 

In the 3A boys race, Dreher senior Sam Kolowith finished first in 15:52.94 leading his team to a state title with 67 points. 

The Philip Simmons’ girls edged out defending champion Waccamaw, 42-52 to win the 3A championship. Individually, Ashby Williams of Daniel won the race in 19:15.59. 

Team Champions

Class 5A: Wando boys 41 points; Lexington Girls 62 points - RESULTS

Class 4A: Greenville boys 70 points; Greenville girls 42 points - RESULTS

Class 3A: Dreher boys 67 points; Philip Simmons girls 42 points - RESULTS

Class 2A: Greer Middle College Charter boys 31 points; Bishop England girls 40 points - RESULTS

Class 1A: Brashier boys 50 points; Christ Church girls 49 points - RESULTS