Memphis Twilight Preview - 2021
When it comes to cross country, there are always courses or
venues that coaches and athletes just like to go to. Last year changed things. Races were postponed or cancelled all
together. The State meet moved to a
course that some really liked, and some (me being one) didn't quite care for
it. This year it seems as soon as the
competitive season could begin, the races started stacking up.
One of the races that had to be cancelled last year was the Memphis Twilight, mostly just because of the size of this race and the impossible logistics to put it on during the pandemic. This year though, it's back. Looking at the strong field entered in this Saturday's classic makes it seem like it never lost a beat. Still getting out of state athletes making the trip as well as the top local runners marking this off as a race not to miss!
This race, like so many other races, has a ton of back stories that I wish I could tell them all! The Winders name seems to always shows up at this meet, but this year all the brothers are off running in college and it's up to the female of the group, Dinah, to make a mark at this race. For another story, just take a glance at the records, specifically the one set in 2014 for the girl's middle school race. Felicity Bost set that mark and this Saturday will be her college debut as a freshman at the University of Memphis. I'm excited to see this 800M State champion runner take it to the next level and see how her career progresses! It's always great to see the former high school athletes running in college and this meet has been a showcase for that for many years.
For those that haven't been at this meet in the past, it has a Middle School, High school JV and Varsity divisions, and the college. We'll focus on the high school athletes in this article. But a few numbers to point out would be the fact that there will be about 25 or so college teams (50 with boys & girls) coming out to the meet. All told, over a hundred teams and 1700 + athletes running the soccer field on Saturday!
So... who are some of the athletes to keep an eye on Saturday? And remember, nobody's perfect and so if I leave someone off that's your favorite you have that one fallback... run fast and get mentioned in the post-race recap article!
Boys
Landen McNair - This Bartlett athlete holding a PR of 15:14.70 for the 5K distance is always a consistent winner in the area, likely the top athlete in Memphis this season. He ran a 1:53.05 800 at State in May - champion status. Runner up at state for the 1600 in 4:11.63 . His 2021 Outdoor track season was stacked with wins in races from 800 to 3200 - State championships, Houston Classic, Panther Relays, Jack Moran Relays - prolific season. And he won the 2 mile at the TN State indoor championships in Feb 2021 in 9:22.92. I've learned my lesson never to predict a cross country team winner or individual winner - anything can happen but it's hard to say Landen won't be the first over the line at this meet.
Brady Masters - coming in from Madison Central in Richmond KY and a PR of 15:38 makes him one to watch. Brady just won the Central Kentucky Run for the Gold in 15:44.00 last week. That's close to his PR too. He has a 2:00.86 PR in the 800, 4:26.86 in 1600 and 9:56.91 in 3200 all set in 2021 track season. That should put him in a good spot on this fast course.
Elliot Garst, another top area runner from Bartlett will be one to help his team towards that title. Elliot ran a 9:36.70 PR in the 3200 at the Jack Moran relays and earlier in the year ran a PR of 4:22.64 in the 1600 (March 2021). Bartlett always has a strong group of distance runners and Elliott should be right up there helping to bring his team home.
Will Douglas is one of the few contenders in the field that has already debuted at 5000m.
Will Douglas - 15:53 - Camden Central athlete. Will recently won the Dresden HS Invitational
on the 17th of August. If you
know that course, you know it's hilly... really hilly! So... running a 16:05 on that is very
impressive. Put him on this fast course
and I'm curious how much faster he can post. Will has run a 9:33.91 3200M and won the State 3200 last season, so he
has the leg speed to be a legitimate contender at this meet.
Connor Augustine - 15:53. This Baton Rouge Louisiana athlete has posted a 9:56 in the 3200 and with a 15:53 run last season, is certainly one of the top athletes to watch. Haven't got confirmation that Connor is still coming up, but hopefully he can make it and all is safe with him in Baton Rouge.
Connor Henson - of Columbia Academy in TN won last years state 800 in a time of 1:55.39 and the 1600 in a time just a few seconds slower than his PR of 4:16.76. Connor also is a state XC champion and has run 15:54.00 last cross-country season. Put all that together on this fast course, and we could see a new PR from this athlete.
A few other athletes with sub 16 entered in the meet that should be watched would be Noah Embrey of Greenwood High in Arkansas. Noah comes in with a 15:58 and was a runner up at the 2020 Arkansas State XC championships. Another Arkansas athlete, Evan Armitage, from Lake Hamilton High has a 9:38 in the 3200 and is a top 5 finisher at the Arkansas state XC meet. And another sub 16 5K guy from Hot Springs (Lakeside HS) is Dylan Dew. Dylan's 5K PR just squeaked under the 16 mark, but looking at his profile, that sub 2 min 800 makes me think he's going to try for bragging rights among the Arkansas athletes Saturday.
A few other Local athletes to watch at this meet Saturday:
Chance Kirby - Bartlett - 16:17.30. The last time Chance ran the Twilight, he clocked just over 19. This year, I fully expect him to be way higher in the ranking and no doubt making a huge improvement on his time at this race as well.
Robert Randall - 16:20. This Houston High athlete is a perennial top finisher in the Memphis area. When this distance athlete is healthy and training well, he is fun to watch. He set his 5K PR in the last race of the season last year and that 16:20.56 has certainly got to be on his mind coming into the race this Saturday. Robert also has a sub 4:30 1600 and a 9:31 in the 3200 so you know he has the speed to burn up this course. I'm going to keep a watch out for this guy for sure!
Samuel Tankersley - his 16:30.00 PR in the 5K distance should be a huge confidence builder on his quest to improve on his 61st place finish at the 2019 Memphis Twilight. That quest seems like an easy one for him. The only question would be on how much improvement we'll see from this Houston athlete Saturday and throughout the season!
Ben Linder - The senior from Collierville with a PR of 16:38 is another one to keep a close eye on. He's improved a lot lately and it's never a good thing to count out a senior in any race, no matter how long they've been competing!
Another Houston athlete to keep an eye on is Hays Adams. Having a 16:24 PR and a 5th place finish last season in the Region 8 meet is a good start for this athlete. This is a new course for him Saturday and so it'll be fun to see how he does. You add in 16:38 Luke Carpenter in the Houston mix and that team seems pretty strong. Not sure it's strong enough to beat the Bartlett group, but I'm curious to see who ends up as the top local team this weekend.
Girls
Ciara O'Shea - 17:40.40 - Madison Central - Richmond KY - Won the Central Kentucky Run for the Gold in a time of 17:45.30 this past Augusts (21st). Has competitive pedigree under her belt as a 1600M and 3200 State champion (4:56.83 and 11:11.09 ). And even more pedigree gaining a 1st on the Mile run and two mile (10:30.00) at Eastern Relays in 2021. That level of competitive experience and success can be a tough one to beat!
Dinah Winders - 17:45.77 - Henry County - Paris TN - 1st at Dresden HS Invitational this past Aug 17th in a time of 19:46.85. This is a very hilly course and the word challenging doesn't quite fit the effort it takes to win this race. Dinah Won North sub sectional 1600 last trac season. She ran 18:20 in CC last season. Has a 5:08 best in 1600 to rank top 10 in TN. Has 11:10 in 3200M as well. But most importantly, she comes from a running family and has the heart to do something special at this meet. She's familiar with the course as she's run it many times and watched her brothers tackle it over the years. In cross country, you just never know what happens, but I never count out a Winders. And if you talk to this young athlete for five minutes, you'll immediately be rooting for her to win - a great person and really athletic competitor.
Ann-Marie Braese of Arlington came in 6th overall at this meet in 2019, the last time it was run. I would fully expect Ann-Marie to improve on that. Her time then was 19:33.24. Since then, her times and places in meets has consistently improved. A 4th at the State XC meet last year in 18:11.92 and an 18:26 to win the Region 8 championship is just a sampling of the improvements this athlete has made. If she is in the top spot a little after 8pm Saturday, I for one won't be surprised.
Lauren Rutlin - St. George's athlete. She ran 18:12.15 PR at the Jesse Owens Classic last year. She is the defending D2-A West Region champion. Most notably, she got an 8th place finish at the Memphis Twilight in 2019. Knowing the coaches at St. Georges, they've prepared her for this race, and I would think she could be another surprise once the athletes start entering the stadium here.
A Missouri athlete, Leah Kleekamp of Eureka High School is scheduled to race Saturday. Leah is a 2:15 800 runner, 5:13 in the 1600 and has a 18:32.20 PR for the 5K distance. This will be the first time she comes to the Twilight, but with these credentials, it could be a pretty successful trip! Another Missouri runner making the trip is Brayden Kantola of West Plains. Branden can run a 2:20 in the 800 and 11:30 in the 3200, so her skill is wide spread on the track. Have an 18:43 best in the 5K, and further motivation of traveling to a meet, she will be a top contender for sure.
A couple more top girls to watch would include Jackson Prep athlete, Julia Stradinger. Julia just ran 20:35 August 28th but has a PR of 18:50 and a 5:18 mile best so she can be fast! Houston's Gracey Owens is also another to look for at this meet. Gracey is another of the athletes coming Saturday with times under the 19-minute mark. Gracey can motor as well with some good times in the track events.
Wrapping up, here are some other local athletes to watch Saturday.
Bartlett's Maggie Roy who had a really good year in cross country last season. Maggie comes in with a 19:30 5K best, so that puts her in the top percentage. Aubrey Park of Briarcrest just really got into the competitive running last season and could just have a break out year. She's run under 2:30 in the 800 on the track, but that shows only a small inkling of her real speed. As the distance gets longer, the stronger this athlete gets!
Emma Hurlbut is one of the few seniors on the Collierville squad but the team has high aspirations for this season.
Collierville brings in a group of runners that seem to all have very close to the same times. That tends to bring out the competition for bragging rights in the school when the race gun goes off. Ava Lang and Sydney Collins seem to be the front runners with their 20:10 and Emma Hurlbut right behind them with a 20:14. Then a slew of others very close behind. Not only at this event, but in the years to come, this team could be the one to watch. And I can't forget Anissa Pokorny-Yadav of Houston (20:09). Anissa ran the Twilight in the JV division as a sophomore and was second overall. This year, the Varsity division is just the right challenge for this athlete.
I hope to see a lot of spectators out at the meet Saturday. There is no doubt we will see some very good races. And even better, some new stories to tell as we start getting into the heart of the cross-country season this post-pandemic, or whatever you want to call it, year! Good luck to all the athletes!
See you on the track... and the grass!
Coach Ted