Staff Writer
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| Apex Men's Team after receiving conference title. |
The 2013 conference cross country meet went off
with a bang and finished as quickly as the Southern Wake athletes could
manage. After fierce competition among
runners from eight local high schools, Apex boys finished in first while Apex
girls placed third. The conference championship will be followed by a regional
meet this coming Saturday, where the top four placing teams in each region will
advance to the state meet.
The Apex
Men’s Cross Country dominated the 2013 Southern Wake Athletic Conference
Championship, placing in first overall with six runners achieving all
conference (top 15 overall). Senior Mihret Coulter won the race with a 15:33.97
5K. Coulter says his goal was to, “Go out fast, stay fast, and finish fast.” Senior
Carl Geiger finished fourth overall with a time of 16:08.99. Juniors Jordan
Kokoska and Wyatt Miller finished nearly side by side with a 16:30.99 and a 16:31.75,
taking tenth and eleventh place. In a sweeping group, senior Spencer Colwell (16:36.35),
junior Jonathan Seith (16:37.18), and sophomore Erik Salgado (16:37.47) secured
the 14th, 15th, and 16th spots. Heading into
the regional competition they are favorites to come in second behind Broughton.
Coach Cooper explains how, “The primary goal of the Men’s Cross Country Team on
Saturday is to qualify for the state meet.”
At the Women’s SWAC Championship, Green Hope
ladies dominated with 20 points, Cary placed second with 81 points, and Apex
ladies followed in third at 83 points (lowest score wins). Sophomores Allison Rosen,
Cara Gaudioso, and Elie Rivera led the Apex team to this position, finishing in
20th, 21st, and 24th place, respectively.
Setting new personal records, the teamwork between the three girls helped close
the margin with Cary. Lead runner Rosen ran a 20:12.43 5K, and explains how, “Elie
Rivera on my heels kept me going through the race.” Gaudioso came in with a strong kick, and finished
close behind Rosen with a 20:13.24. Gaudioso describes how she had been
struggling with an injury throughout the season, but, “At the bottom of the
last hill, I just took off.” Rivera ran a 20:21.25 and hopes to continue the trend
through the regional meet. “I would love to run in the 20:10s
or lower.” Like the men, the Apex Women’s Cross Country is aiming to finish within the top four teams in the region tomorrow and advance to states.
The gun will fire at Wake Med Park this Saturday
at 10 a.m. for the boys, and one hour later for the girls. Both teams will be focused
and ready, a mentality that Geiger describes as, “No fun,
just run.”
