WHS Cross Country is burning up the paths

A.L. Shaff Sports

Griffin Neal, top runner for Wimberley High School’s boy’s cross country team kept his undefeated record clean by winning the recent meet at Fredericksburg. On a sloppy and muddy course, he still managed a respectable time of 17:15 while competing against runners from ten schools, some from large and highly competitive squads.

Unfortunately, Ashlynn Royal, top runner on the Texan girls cross country squad, fell sick a day before this big meet and could not compete. Even without their top runner, the Wimberley girls took second in this tough meet.

At the Liberty Hill meet the previous week, Ashlyn Royal (11) took first in the varsity girls 5K race with a time of 19:41. “For the sloppy weather and ground conditions,” Wimberley coach Brad Biggers added, “That is a great time!” On the boy’s side, Griffin Neal

(11) won the varsity boys 5K race with an impressive time of 17:05. That same day, Haley Hall (10) also placed first in the JV girls two-mile race in 13:20.

“Ashlyn Royal is a strong runner who took third in the 800 race at last year’s state track meet,” her coach praised. “This year, she’s won every cross country meet she’s run. In the Liberty Hill meet, she finished 45 seconds ahead of the second-place runner.”

“Whether in track or cross country, she always wants to be out front. She remains focused as she competes. She’s a phenomenal runner who trains year round and is dedicated to her dream of competing for a top university program.”

“Like Ashlyn, Griffin Neal ran summer track. Whether in season or out, he covers as much as 60-70 miles each week. His times this year are maybe 25% faster than last year. He wants to run in college and I think he can qualify for state meets in cross country and track this year because of his work ethic. He’s become a powerful runner this year.“

“These are the smartest, most motivated kids around. After all, not many young people choose to run in the Texas heat,” Biggers says. “These kids excel in the classroom and in their athletics. That’s what makes them so special to me.”

“I was also very pleased with the progress of Jillian Merritt who ran the two miles in 14:03 on a wet, muddy course. She stepped up her time when we were missing a few of our top runners because SAT testing and a UIL debate competition,” according to the coach.

By recorded times, the top five male Texan cross-country runners include 1) Griffin Neal (11), 2) Alex Ursha

(11) , 3) Ethan Jones (10),

4) Ben McLemore (12) and

(5) Jacob Wheeler (10). The top five female runners for Wimberley include 1) Ashlyn Royal (11), (2) Katy Heldstab (12), (3) Jasmine Cante (10), (4) Ericca Zachgo-Peterson (10) and (5) Jillian Merritt (12).

All 2018 season meets occur at other schools with the most distant meet scheduled for Bandera, about 1.5 hours from Wimberley by bus.