Published: November 01, 2009 11:21 pm      

New Waverly cross country team rolls into regionals

Boys and girls team to attempt to qualify for state meet on Saturday in Humble

The New Waverly cross country team made the trip to Anderson last Wednesday hoping to put up a good showing in its district meet. Besides having a solid performace, the boys and girls teams made some history.

Both the Bulldog boys and girls team finished third to qualify for the regional meet.

“It’s an honor for me to have two teams going to regionals,” New Waverly coach Estaban Pecina said. “This will be the first time in New Waverly’s history that both a boys and a girls team qualified for regionals in the same year.

“We weren’t sure if we would be able to send a boys team because we’ve been struggling with injuries this year. Two of our seniors didn’t even get to run because they’re still hurt.”

Jeffrey Currie led the New Waverly boys with an eighth-place finish. Eric Koonce followed, placing eighth. Other Bulldog finishers were Clint Brown, Casey Jackson, Ryan Reyes and Zane Jackson.

Freshman Ashlyn Jackson helped the Lady Bulldogs advance with a fourth-place finish. Sophomore Whitney McCullough took seventh place and was followed by Myeisha Williams, Kayla Williams, Alena Salinas and Ariel Ballew.

The regional meet will offer a different kind of course for New Waverly.

“We had to practice running up hills and bleachers for the district meet, because it’s real hilly over in Anderson,” Pecina said. “But the regional meet will be really flat.”

The regional meet, the last stop before the state meet in Round Rock, will be held at Lone Star College in Humble on Saturday morning at 9 a.m.