These area cross country athletes earned medals, made all-state in season-ending race

Waccamaw’s Anna Margaret Loftus and Perrin Jones earned bronze medals at the South Carolina High School League Cross Country Championships on Saturday at Sandhills Research Center in Columbia.

Loftus, an eighth-grader, finished in 19:18.68, just over 30 seconds behind winner Maggie Rhodes of Woodruff and just over 19 seconds behind runner-up Carson Towe of Seneca. On the boys side, Jones, a senior, finished in 16:20.80, well off the winning pace of Academic Magnet’s Colin Baker (14:48.53).

Both the Waccamaw teams finished as team runner-ups.

The Warriors’ Alice Francke joined Loftus in earning all-state honors in the girls race, finishing ninth (19:59.72). Waccamaw’s Berndt Anderson (sixth, 16:35.50) and Weston Stokes (14th, 16:50.25) made all-state on the boys side. The top 15 in reach race make the all-state squads.

The Waccamaw girls — whose runners also included Lena Gammel (23rd, 21:01.03), Anabelle Scully (24th, 21:07.31), Maris Jennings (32nd, 21:24.98), Clare Fico (21:25.62) and Rylee Allison (38th, 21:38.34) — finished second in the team standings with 91 points behind Seneca (52).

On the boys side, Rion Keesee (21st, 17:19.56), Bennett Stover (26th, 17:21.69), William Daniels (43rd, 17:51.28) and Miller Miller (61st, 18:08.90) rounded out the Warriors’ scoring as Waccamaw (68 points) placed runner-up in the team standings behind Bishop England (50).

Bren Tyler (59th, 22:22.62) and William Blackmon (64th, 18:14.20) were Aynor’s top girls and boys finishers, respectively.

In Class A/2A, Jackson Jeter (39th, 17:59.52) and Brooklyn Sawyer (64th, 23:29.43) were Green Sea Floyds’ top-finishing boys and girls runners, respectively.

In 4A, Myrtle Beach’s Tyler Flannelly (83rd, 18:13.29) and North Myrtle Beach’s Alexander D’Annunzio (84th, 18:13.95) were the top area boys finishers, while the Chiefs’ Isabella Spickler (52nd, 21:30.16) and the Seahawks’ Samantha Murillo (64th, 21:53.76) paced area girls in the race.

In 5A, Carolina Forest’s Michael Mohr (48th, 16:55.94) and Conway’s Monroe Thompkins (58th, 17:04.75) were the top area boys, while the Panthers’ Brianna Hatfield (87th, 21:09.87) was the lone area girl to compete.

David Wetzel: @MYBSports, 843-626-0295