Joplin's Riechman-Bennett Wins District Cross Country Race
Post date: Oct 27, 2013 4:07:22 PM
The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO
October 27, 2013
From staff reports
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Matt Riechman-Bennett of Joplin won the Class 4 District 6 cross country meet on Saturday at the Lake Springfield Course.
The Eagles had five runners among the top 22 and finished second in the team standings with 67 points, 18 behind champion Kickapoo. Nixa (85 points) and Webb City (159) were next and also qualified their teams for next Saturday’s sectional meet in Camdenton.
Riechman-Bennett, a senior, led almost the entire race and covered the 5K layout in 16 minutes, 31 seconds. He won by five seconds over Cameron Byrley of Parkview.
“I wanted to start out with Ryan Way from Republic (fifth-place finisher) and run behind him,” Riechman-Bennett said. “I got around him early in the race and didn’t see him again. After that I was winging it.
“The hills (on the course) are my best place. This was my first good race of the season.”
“Two weeks ago (in the Ozark Conference meet) he was not well-rested and did not run his greatest race (placing eighth),” Joplin coach Jason Riddle said. “He had something to prove (Saturday). You could tell by the look in his eye this was going to be his day. He gave it 100 percent.”
“Our team goal was to be in the top three, and we got in the top two. We’re excited about that, and Matt’s individual title was great. We also had the top ninth-grader (Blaine Jimerson) as well.”
Kush Bhatka was the Eagles’ second-finishing runner, placing 13th. Janzen White and Jimerson were 15th and 16th, respectively, and James Tupper took 22nd. Other Joplin runners were Logan Keller (36) and Devon Stahl (62).
Grant Miller finished 20th to lead Webb City. The Cardinals’ other finishers: Omar Perez (30), Victor Encarnacion (34), Tadd Capron (37), Bristol Hargis (38), Sam Goddard (45) and Chris Cooper (56).
Also qualifying for sectional by finishing in the top 30 were Neosho’s Chance Burr (sixth) and Cole Bishop (25th) and Carthage’s Ben Southwick (ninth) and Carter Hensley (26th).
Individual qualifiers for the girls sectional include Webb City’s Natalie Capron (seventh), Kira Fisher (19th) and Jocelyn Galardo (29th), Neosho’s Sydney Anderson (16th) and Amber Bates (18th) and Joplin’s Estrella Arreola (30th).
Webb City was fifth in the team standings with 132 points, Neosho sixth with 159 and Joplin ninth with 209. Sectional team qualifiers were Branson (55), Nixa (74), Kickapoo (77) and Ozark (77).