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Boys XC has become a battle of the powerhouses that has been led by Dreher’s Sam Kolowith all season. Kolowith’s most recently finished 3rd out of 244 this past weekend at the Bob Jenkins SCTCCCA Coaches Classic. Kolowith held on strong with the leaders for the entire race and finished just 9 seconds behind the leader. Kolowith leads the midlands contingency in time and season average and is the reigning 4A 3200m champion from last spring and will look to best his 3rd place finish at last year’s 4A state meet. Kolowith is not training alone with teammate, Ivan Diaz who has been a consistent sub 17:00 runner all season.
Jesse Oates of the Lexington wildcats has stepped big time for the 14x reigning 5A-5 region champions. Oates worked his way up through the pack late in the race to finish as the second midlands runner and 12th overall in the international division at the Coaches Classic. Oates is closely pushed by teammate Luke McKenna who has seen major improvements from the 2021 season.
Wilson Hall’s Connor Smith has been a recurring top runner where he has placed in the top five at eight out his nine races. No one has raced more than Smith this season. His experience will help carry him to the SCISA 3A championships where he is currently seeded first by 48 seconds.
Chapin High School is led by junior, Calvin Smith. Smith ran his best time at his home course at the Mike Moore Lake Murray Invitational where he finished in 9th place. Smith has been consistently under the 17:00 barrier with seven out his eight performances.
The River Bluff contingency is led by senior, Carlos Lanzagorta and freshman, Ayden Bazemore. Lanzagorta is the current runner-up at the 5A state meet in the 800m. He has used his strength and speed to earn top finishes at large invitationals including 2nd at the Eye Opener, 10th at Mike Moore Lake Murray Invitational, and 11th at Low Country. Bazemore has played an important scoring role for the Gators. He currently ranks 9th out of all freshmen in South Carolina which features three other midlands athletes (Powell, Blythewood – 6th, Bradberry, Lexington – 7th, Cannon, Chapin – 10th).
Blythewood’s, Jacob Powell was the first freshman to cross the line this weekend at the Coaches Classic in a time of 16:30, a new personal record for the Bengal.
Competing in the Coaches Classic championship division, Jackson Reinhard finished in 7th place for the PAC Panthers. Reinhard has finished in the top ten in each race he has run this season.
| Season Best | Season Average | Power Rating | |||||||
| 1 | Sam | Kolowith | Dreher | SR | 15:32 | 15:51 | 1.667 | ||
| 2 | Jesse | Oates | Lexington | SO | 15:48 | 16:23 | 1.667 | ||
| 3 | Connor | Smith | Wilson Hall | SR | 15:52 | 16:27 | 1.778 | ||
| 4 | Calvin | Smith | Chapin | JR | 16:16 | 16:44 | 3.714 | ||
| 5 | Luke | McKenna | Lexington | SR | 16:05 | 16:42 | 3.833 | ||
| 6 | Carlos | Lanzagorta | River Bluff | SR | 16:17 | 16:35 | 3.833 | ||
| 7 | Jacob | Powell | Blythewood | FR | 16:32 | 17:00 | 6.833 | ||
| 8 | Jackson | Reinhard | PAC Panthers | SO | 16:40 | 16:58 | 6.889 | ||
| 9 | Ivan | Diaz | Dreher | SR | 16:40 | 16:57 | 8 | ||
| 10 | Ayden | Bazemore | River Bluff | FR | 16:38 | 17:03 | 8.857 | ||
Honorable Mention: Ethan Kurtz (Lexington), Brandon Corley (River Bluff), Jackson Engh (Heathwood Hall), Cole Eaton (River Bluff), Michael Ziehl (Chapin)
The Midlands XC Rankings takes into consideration head to head competition between midlands athletes at meets/invitationals. Rankings are based on a season best, season average, and place at meets/invitational with 3+ midlands teams, a total of 5+ teams, and consists of races where the top 7 athletes run under 18:00 (Boys) or 21:30 (Girls)
