MIDLAND Running in her first race with the Crane girls cross country team, Raeley Howard quickly made an impact at the Tall City Invitational Saturday at Hogan Park.
She paced the Lady Birds in the Division II race by winning the individual title with a time of 12 minutes, 46.30 seconds.
Howard ran at Permian before transferring to Crane over the summer and said it felt good to set the tone right away with her new teammates.
“It’s so much fun with the team that I have, they’re so upbeat and so positive about everything,” Howard said.
She added that she felt nervous going into the race after transitioning from running in 5K races but she knew she needed to push herself to have a good showing.
Howard already feels at home with the Lady Birds and is confident that they can put together a strong season.
“I’m really excited for the team, I think we’re going to do really well,” Howard said. “We’re going to keep progressing as we go on. We’re pretty young, so I think there’s going to be a lot of talent coming up in a few years.”
The underclassmen talent from Crane performed as freshman Kyla Rangel and sophomore Arianna Escobedo placed fourth and eleventh, respectively, in the Division II race, respectively.
Crane finished second as a team behind Buena Vista.
The Lady Longhorns had four runners finish in the top nine led by Mariana Sanchez (13:06.21) and Ireland Sanchez (13:32.34), who finished second and third, respectively, behind Howard.
Marfa junior Unni Chavez finished in fifth with a time of 13:59.81.
Girls teams competing in the Division I race ran a 5K as opposed to the 3,200 meters for the Division II teams.
Pecos senior Kallie Bullard had a strong showing by finishing second with a time of 19:56.38.
She was the only Pecos runner to compete in the event.
Bullard said she had a rough start to the race but she stayed motivated because she knew a top finish would help her prospects in the future.
“It was rough in the first half with the grass, I felt like I was running in quicksand,” Bullard said. “I just had to push through it.”
She hopes having strong competitions against bigger schools can help her set up a collegiate running career.
The Odessa High girls team also made a big impact in its first race of the season by finishing in second place behind Lubbock Monterey.
Jazira Perez and Angelica Palma set the pace for the Lady Bronchos by finishing seventh and tenth, respectively.
Odessa High girls coach Ricky Santiago said he was hoping for a top-six finish before his team started the race.
He knows the team has some things to work on but was encouraged by the fast start.
“It was a good test,” Santiago said. “It showed me what these girls can do and I think we’re on the right track.”
He also thought seeing two of his runners finish in the top 10 was a good sign for the rest of the season.
Santiago believes if he can keep his top runners healthy, the Lady Bronchos should make some noise within District 2-6A.
“If we’re going in the right direction, I think we can be up there with everybody else in the district,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to that.”
>> Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
Tall City Invitational
Saturday, Hogan Park, Midland
GIRLS (5K)
Division I
Team Standings
- Lubbock Monterey, 26; 2, Odessa High, 51; 3, Andrews, 77; 4, Lubbock High, 84; 5, Midland Legacy, 115.
Top 10 Individuals
- Reese Pena, Lubbock High, 19:42.34; 2. Kallie Bullard, Pecos, 19:56.38; 3. Aaliyah Chavez, Lubbock Monterey, 20:11.95; 4. Bailey Springer, Lubbock Monterey, 20:17.08; 5. Sydney Smothers, Lubbock Monterey, 20:46.73; 6. McCarly Holloman, Midland Christian, 21:05.94; 7. Jazira Perez, Odessa High, 21:12.96; 8. Roslyn Rodriguez, Lubbock Monterey, 21:48.46; 9. Allisondra Jackson, Fort Stockton, 22:13.94; 10. Angelica Palma, Odessa High, 22:18.14.
Other Area Runners
Odessa High: 12: Anaya Medina, 22:23.87; 16: Julie Tejeda, 22:49.16; 23: Victoria Rivera, 23:46.75; 31: Mackenzie Gonzalez, 24:49.04; 33: Alyssa Ooppapan, 25:09.09; 38: Carmen Robles, 25:25.62; 46: Tatum Ray, 27:21.
Fort Stockton: 13: Leslie Esquivel, 22:25.26.
Andrews: 11: Claire Clark, 22:19.87; 14: Karley Colbath, 22:32.82; 20: Grace Shaffer, 23:25.74; 25. Briana Lopez, 23:51.84; 28: Shaylee Jeffrey, 24:22.71; 29: Nevaeh Hughes, 24:24.61; 32: Lina Rodriguez, 25:05.08.
Midland Legacy: 19: Kyndall Jones, 23:14.59; 24: Karimme Conejo, 23:49.75; 27: Arabella Munson, 24:05.71; 35: Mariah Granados, 25:14.08; 37: Ashlyn McClatchy, 25:25.59; 41: Addyson Demasters, 25:34.28.
Midland High: 22: Charlize Anaya, 23:31.18; 30: Emily Corbett, 24:38.16; 39: Sarah Hernandez, 25:29.71.
———
GIRLS (3,200m)
Division II
Team Standings
- Buena Vista, 33; 2. Crane, 46; 3. Monahans, 170; 4. Coahoma, 180; 5. Compass Academy, 183; 6. Lenorah Grady, 184; 7. Odessa High, 201; 8. Midland Classical Academy, 253; 9. Midland Legacy, 285; 10. Marfa, 293; 11. Slaton, 323; 12. Presidio, 325; 13. Big Spring, 333; 14. Midland High, 341; 15. Andrews, 355; 16. Forsan, 392; 17. Alpine, 395; 18. Kermit, 409; 19. Stanton, 427; 20. Pecos, 511.
Top 10 Individuals
- Raeley Howard, Crane, 12:46.30; 2. Mariana Sanchez, Imperial Buena Vista, 13:06.21; 3. Ireland Sanchez, Imperial Buena Vista, 13:32.34; 4. Kyla Rangel, Crane, 13:54.08; 5. Ummi Chanez, Marfa, 13:59.81; 6. Cheyenne Simonton, Monahans, 14:05.26; 7. Elisabeth Jones, Big Spring, 14:05.81; 8. Melissa Rodriguez, Imperial Buena Vista, 14:09.12; 9. Kiara Corona, Imperial Buena Vista, 14:09.77; 10. Jaedyn Kuhlmann, Greenwood, 14:12.61.
Other Area Runners
Crane: 11: Arianna Escobedo, 14:17.96; 15: Neveya Porres, 14:33.55; 18: Jacqueline Bernard, 14:38.24; 20: Madelyn Bernard, 14:42.23; 23: Angelina Perez, 14:51.55; 51: Karen Santos, 15:40.20; 75: Sophia Hernandez, 16:14.71; 97: Neyda Varela, 16:37.03; 130: Nylah Smith, 17:29.83.
Buena Vista: 12: Gaby Sanchez, 14:20.51; 36: Melanie Malagon, 15:11.66; 150: Mylea Williams, 19:14.87.
Compass Academy: 13: Jazlyn White, 14:28.64; 14: Bailey Flores, 14:29.43; 17: Mandy Dobbs, 14:37.65; 70: Chloe Harshbarger, 16:09.98; 91: Alyssa Holmes, 16:31.65; 126: Lilly Hulsey, 17:23.95; 139: Hannah Padilla, 17:54.92; 147: Amberlynn Glasscock, 18:41.80.
Monahans: 21: Brianna Esparza, 14:42.35; 38: Alliessha Banks, 15:12.46; 49: Leslie Tavarez, 15:36.35; 76: Natalie Michel, 16:15.65; 86: Iliana Quintana, 16:26.82; 113: Addy Carrasco, 17:02.32; 123: Amadee Dunbar, 17:21.16.
Midland High: 26: Celine Maldonado, 14:55.60; 63: Skylar Crawford, 15:57.74; 90: Marianna Sanchez, 16:31.65; 103: Alyssa Vasquez, 16:46.20; 112: Kassandra Miller, 16:58.26; 122: Nevaeh Banda, 17:20.28; 141: Victoria Reyes, 18:11.09.
Alpine: 27: Tannin Ritchie, 14:56.68; 99: Lauren Penders, 16:40.77; 100: Elizabeth Uranga, 16:43.75: 114: Vanessa Rice, 17:03.07; 120: Alexa Renteria, 17:13.30; 127: Nora Hillery, 17:25.02; 153: Angelique Fox, 19:50.23.
Kermit: 28: Ebbin Mallory, 14:56.92; 80: Jackline Islas, 16:21.84; 82: Alexa Lara, 16:23.94; 137: Sarah Acosta, 17:47.18; 152: Arnely Ramos, 19:2361; 160: Angelique Ramirez, 20:51.43; 162: Jessica Lara, 21:20.93.
Marfa: 29: Aundrea Garcia, 14:56.98; 73: Emily Hernandez, 16:13.44; 96: Liani Salcido, 16:36.65; 136: Lesly Torres, 17:40.94; 163: Kassandra Garcia, 21:34.10.
Odessa High: 31: Naleah Galindo, 15:03.85; 32: Giselle Hernandez, 15:04.81; 48: Lizeth Lares, 15:33.02; 54: Alexia Angel Lopez, 15:43.95; 60: Victoria Ramirez, 15:50.17; 68: Jolexi Galindo, 16:02.41; 81: Gizelle Mendoza, 16:22.24; 89: Sofia Carrasco, 16:31.52; 94: Angelica Antillon, 16:34.41; 119: Leila Almance, 17:11.40; 124: Samia Sotelo, 17:21.82; 159: Navaeh Hinojos, 20:25.68.
Andrews: 39: Meagan Espinoza, 15:14.06; 74: Alexia Hernandez, 16:14.56; 78: Clara Reyes, 16:16.27; 84: Mariska Hubert, 16:26.30; 134: Reagan McCarver, 17:36.05; 155: Zoe Eugia, 20:09.04.
Pecos: 79: Rhode Duenas, 16:20.80; 106: Amri Vasquez, 16:47.93; 132: Emily Natividad, 17:32.83; 143: Mariah Rubio, 18:20.23; 146: Amara Garcia, 18:37.58; 154: Arissa Bugayong, 20:05.85; 161: Iyisis Loa, 20:59.32.
Greenwood: 56: Kylie Knapp, 15:46.80; 105: Vaye Savage, 16:47.45; 145: Adison Jackson, 18:33.78.
Midland Legacy: 45: Nicole Patel, 15:29.45; 53: Jackie Galindo, 15:43.16; 62: Mia Regalado, 15:52.52; 77: Carla Torres, 16:15.96; 85: Eliana Ballinas, 16:26.71; 101: Ariel Evans, 16:44.85; 109: Kamyhia Dunn, 16:52.64; 111: Kalia Anderson, 16:55.85.
