Cross country adds members, starts strong

State meet hopeful Matthew Mattingly got some help from some new legs on Tuesday night of last week at the LaRue County cross country meet.

Marion County High School senior Matthew Mattingly finished fifth overall in the meet with a time of 13:49 but the biggest lift for him may have been the addition of two new teammates.

Seniors Joseph George and Tommy Carrico, also members of the golf team, started running with the team last week.

George made the biggest impact for the Knights, finishing behind Mattingly and 16th overall with a time of 15:46. Blake Blandford was nipping at George's heels with a 15:49 and 17th place overall.

Veteran Craig O'Daniel finished in 27th place with 17 minutes flat. Tommy Carrico was two spots behind him at 29th with a time of 17:57.

In the girls action, Mary Helen Hamilton claimed 13th place overall with a 20:14 finish. Elizabeth Kulinna came in 28th with a 27:33 finish.

In the boys 3K, in which Marion County finished first overall, Logan Vaughn took second place overall with a 10:08 finish.

Dalton Riggs was right behind Vaughn with a 10:15 finish and third place overall. Tyren Bell was a little behind with a 10:56 finish, bagging seventh place overall.

Diego Reyes finished 10th with a 12:39 finish. Conner Cornett took 11th place with a time of 13:06. Austin Wethington took 12th place with a time of 13:30.

In the girls 3K, Merideth Bartley was the sole competitor for the team. She finished with a time of 11:31.

The team's next meet is at St. Edward Elementary School in Louisville on Sept. 10. They also travel to Nelson County on Sept. 14 for a meet.