FAIRMONT — Cross country runners from Fairmont Senior and East Fairmont secured Top 10 individual finishes and First-Team All-State honors in their final race of the season, the 2026 Class AAA Cross Country State Championship.
On the girls side, Fairmont Senior junior Sadie Kirkland set the standard, finishing as the state Class AAA state runner-up with a mark of 19:01.70, which etched her name into the program record books with the third-fastest time in school history. She came within five seconds of a new school record, and posted the best mark of any runner from the program in the past 15 years.
“She had the best race of her life,” Fairmont Senior head coach Dayton McVicker said. “Those top 5-6 girls are elite runners and for her to battle with them and come out in second-place is quite the feat.”
On the boys side, East Fairmont junior Bryler Wilson topped the Marion County contingent, taking home an eighth-place finish individually with a mark of 16:44.30, improving 13 spots from his 21st-place finish at the same meet last season.
“His finish was an incredible accomplishment and a well-deserved way to finish his junior season,” East Fairmont head coach Jamie Ford said. “Earning All-State honors is something special, and Bryler has worked incredibly hard to put himself in that position.”
“He had one goal, and that was to place in the Top 10 this season. He started training the day after the state meet last year and he kept his eye on that goal. Watching him compete among the best runners in the state and finishing among the Top 10 was a proud moment for our program.”
On the girls side, Fairmont Senior finished fourth overall as a team, while the East Fairmont Bees took home 11th place as a team. Sophomore Sienna Zuchelli was the next highest finisher for the Polar Bears, earning Second-Team All-State honors with an 11th-place finish with a mark of 20:24.90. Freshman Anna Underwood took 29th place individually, with sophomore Zoey Fout taking 50th and sophomore Charley Speicher taking 55th place.
The Bees were led by senior Linsey Kramer, who finished 21st individually with a mark of 21:13.90. Other top finishers for the Bees included junior Anna Wycoff (49th), sophomore Lily Stuck (51st), senior Ryleigh Bills (75th), and junior Emma Stewart (88th). North Marion was represented by lone individual Annabelle Todd in the girls race, who finished 68th with a mark of 24:08.20.
On the boys side, the Bees finished in eighth place as a team. Wilson was joined by senior Ben Barnes (36th), junior Michael Gibson (44th), junior Andrew Harr (67th), and senior Dominic Rinehart (76th).
The North Marion Huskies had three individuals compete in the boys race. The top Husky finisher was freshman Leo Wright, who took 32nd individually with a mark of 17:51. He was joined by sophomore Gage Rye (39th) and sophomore Cohen Miller (57th) in the race.
Discover more from NAIRAVOICE.COM.NG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
