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CROSS COUNTRY: Sickles Sweeps W.D. Johnson Invitational

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By JEFFREY JONES, Tribune correspondent

Published: October 27, 2007

RUSKIN The Sickles boys and girls easily won races at the W.D. Johnson Invitational on Saturday despite the wet and soggy conditions along the course at E.G. Simmons Park.

The win was satisfying for Gryphons' coach Jim Zander, whose teams pulled off impressive performances without being at full strength, a testament to the depth and resourcefulness each squad possesses.

"We were without two varsity boys and two varsity girls, and they still ran well," Zander said. "They all ran good today, every single one of them."

The Wehunt brothers finished first (Derek) and second (Dan) respectively in 16:20, and 17:16, helping the Gryphon boys capture the top spot with 57 points.

"Whenever I can finish behind a teammate, first or second is awesome," Dan said. "Last year [Derek and I] did it at the freshman and sophomore meet, and at the district it was Derek, me, and Ciprian Mejia finishing one, two and three — that was really cool."

Both Mejia, the Gyyphon's No. 2 runner and Bryan Gollins, the No. 5, could not race today because of the Standard Aptitude Test.

The course proved to be somewhat of a challenge for the runners due to inclement weather which produced numerous muddy areas. That wasn't altogether a bad thing according the Gryphons, who considered the meet part of their training for the upcoming district meet in Sarasota.

"It gets you mentally strong because the course is so hard with the rain and the mud,' said Dan Wehunt. " It gets you ready because were going to a faster course this Thursday."

Bloomingdale finished in second place with 125 points, and Brandon third with 141.

Brooks Wells placed third in 17:35 to help Gaither finish fourth in the team standings.

Coach Bill Jenkins was also pleased that his team was able to get back their former number three runner, Matt Gibney, who suffered a partial collapsed lung and fractured pelvis in a car accident in September.

Saturday's meet was the first race for Gibney since the incident occurred, finishing 63rd for the Cowboys.

"We're coming together, our only goal was to make it to state this year," Said Jenkins. "We've been training hard without even thinking of another meet."

Freedom's Alyssa Franks finished first in the girls race with a personal best time of 20:27, which pleased Patriots coach Harley Shaw, especially since district competition is right around the corner.

"[Alyssa] has been improving every single race, and with last week being out sick, this was a big meet for her," Shaw said.

Franks decided to experiment a little during this race, and her efforts paid off as she won her second meet of the season, her first since the Central Hillsborough meet in September.

"At the end I picked it up a little more than I usually do, Franks said, "Usually at the end I keep the same pace that I was going."

"I missed the county championships, which made me really upset, so I wanted to make it up by coming out here and doing my best."

Grace VanDeGriff also finished well, placing second in 20:32 for Durant. The freshman, like Franks, mixed it up a little during Saturday's meet which resulted in a nice finish for Durant's No. 1 runner.

"I went easy the first two miles, and then picked it up the last mile, because I usually go really fast the first mile," VanDeGrift said. "Today I wanted to try something different."

Sickles' Emily Wehunt finished seventh in 21:34 with Amanda Newby right behind in 21:34, pushing the Gryphons to first place with 49 points.

Newsome, running all junior varsity, still managed to place second with 99 points, and Tampa Catholic, led by third-place finisher Meghan Sullivan (20:45), landed in the third spot.

Cross Country
BOYS
Top Teams: 1. Sickles 57, 2. Bloomingdale 125, 3. Brandon 131, 4. Gaither 141, 5. Newsome 171, 6. Alonso 179, 7. Robinson 180, 8. East Bay 200, 9. Armwood 244, 10. Wharton 258

Top 10 Individuals: 1. Derek Wehunt (Sickles) 16:20; 2. Dan Wehunt (Sickles) 17:16; 3. Brooks Wells (Gaither) 17:35; 4. John Mitchell (Durant) 17:52; 5. Darren Gibson (Robinson) 17:54; 6. Brett Wilson (Sickles) 17:56; 7. Andi Encinas (Alonso) 17:59; 8. Drew Woodke (Brandon) 18:00; 9. Stephen Peterson (Brandon) 18:00; 10. Brian Garcia (Robinson) 18:07.

GIRLS
1. Sickles 49, 2. Newsome 99, 3. Tampa Catholic 135, 4. Brandon 144, 5. Bloomingdale 168, 6. Plant 192, 7. Alonso 193, 8. East Bay 196, 9. King 227, 10. Freedom 272.

Top 10 Individuals:
1. Alyssa Franks (Freedom) 20:27; 2. Grace VanDeGrift (Durant) 20:32; 3. Meghan Sullivan (Tampa Catholic) 20;49; 4. Jacquelin Priscia (Tampa Catholic) 21:04; 5. Nicole Kenna (Brandon) 21:17; 6. Shelby Williams (Brandon) 21:18; 7. Emily Wehunt (Sickles) 21:34; 8. Amanda Newby (Sickles) 21:34; 9. Sydney Bevitz (Sickles) 21:38; 10. Morgan Williams (East Bay) 21:49.

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