Oct. 11, 2024
BY JOHN BAILEY
With Hurricane Helene still fresh in everyone’s thoughts, 23 high school teams with more than 350 athletes from across the region, including areas affected by Helene, made their way to Southside Park in Newton on Oct. 9 to compete in the 31st annual John F. Hall Catawba County United Way Cross Country Invitational.
The founder and United Way Volunteer Coordinator of the event, John Hall, hoped the meet would be a bright spot in a dark time.
Along with providing an opportunity for local athletes to compete in a first-class meet, they also give back to their communities through service projects.
It was fitting that this year’s special guest was, Martin Parnell. He has run in more than 300 marathons and raised over $1,000,000 for children in need. Parnell also ran a special marathon in Afghanistan to raise awareness of women’s rights and gender equality. That event became the subject of a book by Parnell, "The Secret Marathon," and a documentary film.
"For me it's all about sharing," Parnell said to the teams after the meet. "You are all on the path of some type of running goal today, but it's worth thinking about how you can give back, how you can share what you know and help tomorrow."
Providing additional emphasis on community outreach, the Rotary Club of Hickory, encouraged by teams' projects in the past, increased their donation of a monetary award to $700 for the top three service projects.
Service Project Winners
1st – East Burke High School – $300
Collected new or gently used children's books for the Little Free Libraries of Burke County. The primary beneficiaries were students from low-income neighborhoods, who often lacked resources for reading materials.
2nd – Hibriten High – $250
Partnered with the school’s new carpentry program to build and maintain travel
libraries for the new pre-k and exceptional children students.
3rd – Fred T. Foard – $150
Raised money via the calendar fundraiser to help elderly, disabled, or veteran families with
medical care for their pets, including spaying and neutering.
2024 Cross Country Meet Results
Two athletes had performances that met the MileSplit US Second Team standard.
5000 Meter Run 19:21.70 Isabela Vieira T.C. Roberson
5000 Meter Run 19:40.24 Madison Sledge University Christian High School
Boys Championship – Top 10 Individuals
1 Moore, Bryant 10 West Iredell 16:35.96 1
2 Simmons, Gus 11 Unattached 16:49.08
3 Davis, Alex 11 T.C. Roberson 17:06.97 2
4 Anderson, Jack 10 T.C. Roberson 17:16.71 3
5 Gantt, Maddox 12 North Iredell 17:24.53 4
6 Frizzell, Conner 12 University C 17:45.38
7 Corpening, Bryce 11 South Caldwell 17:49.20 5
8 Rawlings, Alex 11 Unattached 17:53.47
9 Sluder, Hayden 10 T.C. Roberson 17:58.79 6
10 Coladonato, Julian 11 Unattached 17:58.95
Top 5 Teams
1 T.C. Roberson
2 North Iredell
3 Alexander Central
4 St. Stephens
5 West Iredell
Boys Invitational
1 Cook, Damon 12 Shelby 16:56.74 1
2 Baker, Elijah 11 East Burke 18:16.33 2
3 Wykle, Gabe 12 Patton 18:30.01 3
4 Earnhardt, Ansen 10 Bandys 18:36.74 4
5 Morgan, Steven 11 Shelby 18:43.17 5
6 Wise, Anderson 10 West Lincoln 18:46.58 6
7 Carroll, Isaac 12 Bandys 18:59.91 7
8 Evans, Will 12 Patton 19:22.82 8
9 Snodgrass, William 12 Maiden High 19:25.36 9
10 Bishop, Ethan 12 East Burke 19:32.21 10
Top 5 Teams
1 Shelby
2 Bandys
3 Patton
4 East Burke
5 West Lincoln
Girls Championship
1 Vieira, Isabela 9 T.C. Roberson 19:21.70
2 Sledge, Madison 11 University Christian 19:40.24
3 Sohovich, Mia 11 North Iredell 19:49.16 1
4 Sturtevant, Breann 11 North Iredell 20:31.21 2
5 Benfield, Mckenzie 11 East Lincoln 20:34.38 3
6 Adams, Ellie 12 University Christian 20:46.29
7 Willis, Cadence 12 East Burke 20:49.52
8 Jung, Nina 10 T.C. Roberson 20:55.56
9 Hollar, Julia 12 North Iredell 20:59.70 4
10 Cadeau, Audrey 9 Unattached 21:09.90
Top 5 Teams
1 North Iredell
2 St. Stephens
3 East Lincoln
4 Alexander Central
5 South Caldwell
Girls Invitational
1 Mathews, Lexi 12 Bandys 21:08.52 1
2 Sawdy, Elise 9 Patton 21:45.47
3 Berkowitz, Alyvia 9 Shelby 21:54.49 2
4 McGuire, Layla 11 Patton 22:29.23
5 Campbell, Jaylise 9 West Lincoln 22:49.07 3
6 Sutton, Adleigh 12 West Lincoln 23:14.42 4
7 Barkley, Abi 12 West Lincoln 24:20.08 5
8 Moseley, Finley 10 Maiden High 24:38.60 6
9 Dillard, Madalyn 12 West Lincoln 24:56.83 7
10 Nolte, Maria 12 St. Stephens 25:04.72
Top 5 Teams
1 West Lincoln
2 Maiden High
3 Shelby
4 University Christian High
5 Bandys
Thank You
The Catawba County United Way would like to thank all of the sponsors who helped make this event possible: Hickory Metro Sports Commission, Publix, Newton Recreation Department, David and Lisa Hamilton, Rotary Club of Hickory, Frye Regional Medical Center, Premier Screen Printing, A Signco, Big Kahuna Timing, Century Furniture, Sharpe, CT Management, True Energy, Lenoir-Rhyne University.
The CCUW also thanks all of the volunteers who came out to help cook, greet teams, man water stations, set up, clean up and help with awards presentations.
A special thanks goes out to the crew at the Newton Recreation Department who put in extra effort after the Hurricane to make sure the course at Southside Park was ready for the meet.
During the closing ceremonies, CCUW Executive Director Mark Bumgarner reminded everyone how important it was to help your neighbors, “be they next door or three states away. We want to be the people who work to make things better for everybody.”