The O’Neill Eagles Cross Country teams competed Thursday at the Class C-3 District Championships hosted by Pierce High School, where eleven schools battled for the right to advance to the NSAA Class C State Championships. The top three teams and the top fifteen individual runners earned qualifying spots for the state meet.
In the girl’s race, the Eagles finished 6th as a team. Leading the way was freshman Kiarra Kennedy, who ran a strong race to place 8th, earning a district medal and a trip to the Class C State Championships. Completing the varsity lineup were Mollie Corkle (25th), Taya Dickau (27th), Lynn Miner (32nd), Emma Bowder (37th), and Jailyn Romesser (49th).
On the boys’ side, the Eagles delivered a gutsy team performance, finishing 3rd overall to qualify the team for the State Championships. Two O’Neill runners medaled—Max Berg (4th) and Paul Fonseca (8th). Strong supporting efforts came from Alonso Hernandez (17th), Tomas Arciniega (22nd), Brandon Romero (23rd), and Evan Cole (26th), as the Eagles placed six runners in the top third of the 67-plus runner field.
Coach Cole Hilker praised both teams’ efforts, saying, “I am so proud of how both the girls and boys represented the Eagles at districts. Kiarra ran a great race, and the boys team medaling two and basically placing the top six in the top third in results was really amazing.”
The O’Neill Eagles will now turn their focus to the NSAA Class C State Cross Country Championships on Friday, October 24th, at the Kearney Country Club in Kearney, Nebraska. The Class C Girls race begins at 12:30 p.m., followed by the Class C Boys race at 1:30 p.m.
Alonso Hernandez, a state qualifier, placed 17th at the C-3 district meet hosted by Pierce. Picture courtesy of Asst. Coach Chad Dean.
Brandon Romero, a state qualifier, placed 23rd at the C-3 district meet hosted by Pierce. Picture courtesy of Asst. Coach Chad Dean.
Kiarra Kennedy, a state qualifier, placed 8th at the C-3 district meet hosted by Pierce. Picture courtesy of Asst. Coach Chad Dean.
Max Berg , a state qualifier, placed 4th at the C-3 district meet hosted by Pierce. Picture courtesy of Asst. Coach Chad Dean.
Paul Fonseca, a state qualifier, placed 8th at the C-3 district meet hosted by Pierce. Picture courtesy of Asst. Coach Chad Dean.
Tomas Arciniega, a state qualifier, placed 22nd at the C-3 district meet hosted by Pierce. Picture courtesy of Asst. Coach Chad Dean
Evan Cole , a state qualifier, placed 26th at the C-3 district meet hosted by Pierce. Picture courtesy of Asst. Coach Chad Dean.