Keegan Smith Smashes Course Record In Boys Race; Averi Lowen Surprises In Girls Race

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Nike Cross Regional Southeast Photo

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS

It wasn't that Averi Lowen hadn't done some impressive things this season. 

The last time she raced, in the Georgia Class 1A Division 2 race, she won by more than three minutes. 

But Lowen, a sophomore, hadn't done something like this on a stage such as NXR Southeast.

The unattached runner from Bowdon, Georgia won the girls championship race in a personal best time of 16:59.2.

"I'm a little shocked, but I'm excited that I made it to NXN," Lowen said. 

She beat a high caliber field on Saturday at WakeMed Soccer Complex in Cary, N.C. Carolina Areheart from Mustangs XC and Abby Faith Cheeseman, both of Tennessee, were a few seconds back in second and third place. Katie Payne of Wilmington XC (Delaware) and Elaina Pierce of Charlottesville (Virginia) will accompany Lowen on the starting line at NXN.

Raleigh Catholic and Bruins XC, the two favorites in the team race, did in fact go 1-2, but it was very close. Fourteen points separated the top four teams. Raleigh Catholic, led by Hannah Shaffer's sixth-place finish, edged Bruins XC (126) by seven points and Mustangs XC was third with 127. 

Keegan Smith, who burst onto the high school scene as a freshman and then leveled off a bit, came through with his best performance at the right time. Smith of Smoky Mountain Distance Project, broke Brodey Hasty's course record by out-running Ty Steorts of Teays Valley (W.Va.) and Tommy Latham of Ava Maria (Ga.). 

Smith's time of 14:23.3 trimmed nine seconds off the time Hasty ran at Great American in 2016. 

It's a performance that will put Smith into the conversation as an NXN individual contender. 

"Coming into this race it was about proving a lot of my doubters wrong," Smith said. "It's been such a journey since freshman year and I'm just so grateful to God to be here."

Smith had finished 15 seconds behind Steorts, in third place, earlier this fall at the Adidas XC Challenge on the same WakeMed course.

Will Sheets of Park Hills (Kentucky) was fourth in 14:45.0. Paul Van Laningham got the final individual qualifier slot, in sixth, with 14:56.2.

Marcelo Mantecon led Miami Havana to another NXR Southeast team championship with his fifth place overall finish. 

The Floridians scored 94 points to win title, which was expected. 

Another surprise came from Mt. St. Albans TC, which scored 134 points and will become the first team from the District of Columbia to compete at NXN. Sebi Hume led the team with his 10th place overall finish and William Strong was 24th (10th in team scoring).