High school sports notes: Pou and Sawyer win cross country state meet qualifiers

The SCHSL cross country state championships are Saturday, Nov. 4 in Columbia at the Sandhills Research Center.

Runners from Fort Mill, Nation Ford, Northwestern, Rock Hill, Lancaster, South Pointe, York, Indian Land, Great Falls and Lewisville will chase state titles this weekend.

Here are top-20 local finishers in last weekend’s state meet qualifiers, including Nation Ford’s Katie Pou and Indian Land’s Hannah Sawyer, who won their qualifying races:

5A Mid-State qualifier

Boys

11. Isaiah Barnes (RH), 16:53.75; 14. Ethan Smith (FM), 17:00.20; 15. Aidan McNeill (FM), 17:02.43. 19; Thomas Windell (NF), 17:10.31; 20. Jalen Shropshire (NW), 17:11.18.

Girls

1. Katie Pou (NF), 18:20.85; 3. Sydney George (FM), 19:19.56; 4. Abigail Dawson (FM), 19:26.04; 7. Morgan Werner (RH), 19:41.11; 9. Lanie Jo Knight (RH), 20:04.22; 14. Mary Drolet (FM), 20:34.16; Delanie Mellon NW), 20:40.85; 17. Piper Grant (NW), 20:45.02.

4A Mid-State qualifier

Boys

13. Brandon Burns (YCHS), 17:07.80; 19. Dalton White (SP), 17:32,91.

Girls

13. Chloe Mumaw (YCHS), 20:29.11.

3A Lower State qualifier

Girls

1. Hannah Sawyer (IL), 19:49.35; 12. Kaitlyn Rodman (IL), 21:12.53.

1A state qualifier

Girls

4. Megan Flynn (Lew), 20:05. 25.

SCMat.com preseason wrestling rankings

Rock Hill is second in SCMat.com’s preseason 5A wrestling state ranking. Fort Mill is No. 5 and Clover is No. 19.

SCMat.com also listed returning wrestlers to keep an eye on.

Rock Hill’s returning grapplers include defending 126-pound state champ and sophomore Bailey Wilkins, 170-pounder Noah Reynolds, who finished second in the state last spring, and sophomore Jose Mora (106) and senior Justin Beck (120), who were both third place finishers. Senior Tylik Simril was a state qualifier at 195 pounds.

Junior Jacob Sturgeon, a 113-pound state qualifier in 2017, senior Brody Claassen, who finished fourth in the 126-pound state tournament, and senior Jake Hart, who finished second in the 145-pound class, return for Fort Mill.

Northwestern’s Mison Mickle, who finished runner-up at the 160-pound state championship last season, and Akhir Al’Qasim, a 220-pound state qualifier, are back for the Trojans.

SCMat.com says Clover senior Luke Brown, a fourth place finisher in the 120-pound weight class state tourney last spring, and junior Ryan Jones, a 2017 state tourney qualifier are the Blue Eagles to watch.

This story was originally published October 30, 2017 at 3:39 PM with the headline "High school sports notes: Pou and Sawyer win cross country state meet qualifiers."