The South Knox Middle School girls cross country team turned in two strong performances at the Gibson Southern Invitational on Saturday, September 5. The varsity Lady Spartans placed third with 104 points, while the JV girls won their race with an outstanding score of just 20 points. By finishing third among 12 scoring teams, the varsity defeated nine opponents and improved its season record to 37-10. The girls faced hot and humid conditions throughout the morning but continued to compete and fight for places from the start of each race through the finish. Macyn Perry led the varsity team, placing seventh overall in 12:22.7. Fifth grader Haven Evans gave South Knox a second runner inside the top 15, finishing 13th in 12:57.4. Jacie Shepard placed 24th in 13:30.9, followed closely by Lydia Emmert in 29th at 13:36.8. Molly Carnahan completed the varsity scoring five, placing 34th in 13:52.7. The Lady Spartans finished with a 1-5 split of 1:30. Audra Like finished 41st in 14:21.4, and Lee Emma Dellinger placed 53rd in 15:05.5 to complete the varsity lineup. The JV Lady Spartans controlled their race, placing four runners among the first six finishers and all five scoring runners inside the top 10. Brynn Leser led South Knox with a second-place finish in 14:24.5. Addie Blackwell followed in third at 14:37.2. Annie Nolting placed fifth in 14:54.1, and Mira Ross finished sixth in 15:12.0. Esther Singleton completed the scoring five with a 10th-place finish in 15:53.7. Amelia Richardville placed 11th in 16:00.7, followed by Lyla Chesser in 13th at 16:20.0 and Alexis Hammond in 15th at 16:34.9. Evie Schutter placed 19th in 17:16.3. Completing the South Knox JV results were Kyleigh Smith, 22nd in 18:02.2; AnnLee Stangle, 23rd in 18:10.3; Adelyn Meadows, 25th in 18:14.2; Alaila Carie, 27th in 18:26.4; Dawsyn Perry, 28th in 18:34.7; Ashlynn White, 41st in 22:03.4; Lily Adams, 42nd in 22:09.9; and Mae Marchino, 63rd in 26:32.4. The varsity’s third-place finish and the JV victory capped another successful day for the Lady Spartans as they continue building toward the second half of the season. Go Lady Spartans!