“To win this race, it says a lot about him, he’s having a great year,” said Thane Garnett, College Heights Christian’s cross country coach. “He was pretty determined to finish well in this race, and I think he showed it.”

In the girls invitational, Greenhill High’s (near Dallas, Texas) Chelsey Sveinsson won for the third straight year with a time of 17:32.71. Sveinsson, a senior, is one of the top long-distance runners in Texas and is hopeful she can continue doing so next year on a collegiate scholarship.

“This is one of the races that I look forward to the most during the season,” said Sveinsson, who was disappointed with her finishing time. “I really just wasn’t feeling it, but like my mom told me, I’m just happy again to win it.”

Fayetteville’s boys team finished fifth overall with 261 points while Bentonville’s girls team finished sixth with 206 points.

Fayetteville’s Austin Simkins had the highest finish among area competitors, finishing sixth with a time of 16:06.19. Elkins’ Grace Heymsfield also finished fifth with a time of 18:24.48.

2009 Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival

MOUNTAIN HOME — The Rogers High boys and girls cross country teams swept team titles at the Mountain Home Invitational on Tuesday.

The girls got a first place finish from Maggie Montoya and two more top 10 finishes to edge past Batesville for the team title. It was the Lady Mounties first team title of the season.

“Maggie Montoya had a great time on a tough, hilly, rain soaked, extremely muddy state meet course,” Rogers coach Carlton Efurd said. “I am so glad we got to see this course before the state meet. There is nothing really like it that we have run all year. It’s by far the toughest course we’ve seen.”

While Montoya led the way for the girls, Efurd cited Megan Wary’s 12th place finish as the key to the team win.

“Megan Wary, really stepped it up for us,” Efurd said. “She looks better in mud than a homecoming dress.”

Wary was recently named the Rogers senior homecoming queen.

On the boys side, the Mounties dominated with six top 10 spots, led by the second place finish of Jeremiah Fleeman.

“It’s nice to have Jeremiah back,” Efurd said. “He’s not at his top form, but he’s getting stronger. This group of guys are really learning how to compete as a team.”

Efurd also said Robert Dorch had his best meet of the season.

The team will compete in this weekend’s prestigeous Chile Pepper Invitational at the University of Arkansas.

“This race might hurt us a little bit this weekend at the Chile Pepper,” Efurd said, “but I think it was worth it.”

The Bentonville boys and girls cross country teams were the top Arkansas finishers at the Oklahoma State Jamboree over the weekend. Both teams finished second among talented fields.

The Tigers were second to Springfield (Mo.) Kickapoo, while 7A-West Conference member Fayetteville was third in a tight 1-2-3 battle.

Kickapoo won with 138 points, followed by Bentonville at 144 and Fayetteville with 145.

Bentonville had three runners in the top 20, led by senior Scott Compton finishing 11th in a time of 16 minutes, 31.40 seconds, just under 4 seconds faster than teammate Will Aenchbacher, who was 12th.

Fayetteville’s Austin Simkins was the top Arkansas individual, finishing fifth (16:11.30).

The Lady Tigers, the defending Class 7A state champion, were a solid second behind Kickapoo. The Springfield team won with 83 points, followed by Bentonville with 97. Grapevine, Texas, was a distant third with 190.

Elenna Sanz was Bentonville’s top finisher on the girls side, taking 12th place in 11:48.10. Teammate Kelsey Wheelhouse was 15th.

Gabe Gonzalez had never ran cross country until this year, but the Springdale High junior is off to a strong start.

Gonzalez has won three of the four races he’s run this season, the latest being his victory at the Siloam Springs Invitational on Saturday.

Springdale coach Seneca Lassiter said Gonzalez decided not to play basketball to concentrate on track and it’s proven to be a good move.

“It’s paying off big-time,” Lassiter said. “He’s very dedicated. He’s surpassing my expectations. He’s kinda blowing me out of the water right now.”

Gonzalez also won a meet at Ecclesia College and one in Oklahoma, but was fourth at the Elkins meet.

He will run this weekend at Holiday Island, but will then likely turn his attention to preparing for the Chile Pepper on Oct. 17 in Fayetteville. Lassiter said that will be a good test for Gonzalez.

“The Chile Pepper’s going to be an eye-opener for him as far as competition,” Lassiter said. “But he listens well and learns from his mistakes.”

The Springdale Central Warriors, with five runners in the top 16, won the championship of the junior high boys’ large school division at the Panther Cross Country Invitational Saturday in Siloam Springs.

The Warriors were led by freshmen Dino Andrade, Spencer Jones, Cole Williams and Alex Salas.

The Lady Warriors finished in third place in the junior girls’ large school division.

In another recent meet, the Central boys and girls each won team titles at the Ecclesia College Invitational meet in Elms Springs.

More than 1,200 runners from the region will compete in the annual Simmons Foods Cross Country Meet in Siloam Springs on Saturday.

Close

The event is the largest sporting event of the year in Siloam with runners from across Arkansas and Northeast Oklahoma participating. The race will be held at the Simmons Foods corporate offices, located at the corner of Lincoln St. and Sager Creek Dr.

The meet will begin at 10 a.m. with the junior girls with races starting every 30 minutes thereafter. A fun run will be held at noon for third and fourth graders, and another for fifth and sixth graders at 12:15 p.m.

The cost for the fun runs are $6 per student and a meet T shirt will be provided after the race with a race payment and registration. Students can register at the meet with their parents.

Simmons Foods Cross Country Meet
Saturday at Siloam Springs
Junior Girls 10 a.m.
Junior Boys 10:30 a.m.
Varsity Girls 11 a.m.
Varsity Boys 11:30 a.m.
Fun Run (3-4) Noon
Fun Run (5-6) 12:15 p.m.

SPRINGDALE — It seems Valerie Reina is just carrying on a family tradition.

Texas sports writers tabbed her family the “running Reinas” as her father Reuben was an eight-time All-American at Arkansas, her uncle Randy competed in the World Cross Country Championships and uncle Roland also earned All-America honors at Arkansas.

Her aunts Janice and Eileen also ran track collegiately.

Count the Springdale Har-Ber sophomore as a card-carrying member as she claimed the Class 7A state cross country title as a freshman.

Valerie can’t really understand what the fuss is about.

“Lots of people, they think it’s so cool,” Valerie Reina said. “I don’t really think much about it.”

Even her father says she shies away from the spotlight.

Har-Ber cross country coach Jodi Unger, who shares those duties with her husband, Brett, said Valerie seems even a bit embarrassed at times since she has to practice with the boys in order to maximize her training.

Even though she understands the reason for running with the boys, she still wishes to have a female running partner.

“I’ve always practiced with the guys,” she said. “I know I have to run with the guys to get benefit. I always wish I had girls to run with, but it’s not that bad. I’m kinda used to it now.”

One of the things Reina said is difficult is running alone, which is what she often does in any race.

“It’s hard because I have to push myself all the time,” Reina said. I think it will be a little different this year. I’ve always wanted to run in the packs instead of just being alone.”

But when Reina runs, the spotlight finds her.

Brett Unger first saw her running in a physical education class at Hellstern Middle School four years ago, and got a glimpse of her potential.

“She was running the mile and I saw her run that first lap, looking at her stride, that was remarkable for a sixth-grader,” Brett Unger said. “I called her aside and she had just beat all the boys. She wasn’t really trying. She wasn’t even really breathing hard. I said ‘Do you understand how good of a runner you are?’”

“I didn’t know she came from a family of deer,” Brett Unger said with a laugh. “I said ‘Well, no wonder.’ She’s just a natural.”

Reuben Reina said he was still competing on the track when Valerie was born, so it made sense for her to gravitate toward running.

“It’s something they all just picked up on,” Reuben Reina said.

Valerie Reina agreed.

“I guess were always at track meets growing up,” Valerie Reina said. “I used to practice with my dad’s cross country team.”

Even though her father has been careful not to push, he’s happy that Valerie’s chosen to pursue running competitively.

“Not to put any pressure on her, she really has more potential,” the elder Reina said. “I don’t think people know how much potential she really has. I think what people are seeing now is just natural ability.”

She’s off to another good start this year, knocking off defending 3A state champion Grace Heymsfield of Elkins at a meet two weeks ago.

Brett Unger said the two stayed close for a while, but then Reina took over.

“It was like she said ‘OK, we’ll see you at the end,’” he said.

Profile
Valerie Reina
School: Springdale Har-Ber
Class: Sophomore
Sport: Cross country
Notable: Won the Class 7A state cross country championship as a freshman.
Daughter of eight-time All-American and Olympic distance runner Reuben Reina.

ROGERS — Cameron and Courtney Efurd will look to complete some unfinished business Saturday afternoon in Hot Springs.

FAYETTEVILLE — Haley Martin’s emergence as a go-to player this season has the Fayetteville volleyball team with a chance to return to the 7A state finals.

FAYETTEVILLE — Rogers has seen its share of cross country glory over the years. What the Mounties haven’t seen is too many examples of laying an egg on the big stage. But at the 20th annual Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival, that’s exactly what happened according to coach Carlton Efurd.