SIMPSONVILLE — The Daniel High School girls’ cross country team finished first in the Class 3A division at the Upper State qualifying meet last Saturday at Heritage Park in Seneca, as the team had an average time of 19:41, making them the only 3A team to average less than 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, Seneca’s Tameka Jackson finished in first place individually with a time of 19:02, as the reigning State champion and South Carolina Gatorade Runner of the Year will go into Columbia on Saturday as the favorite to defend her championship.

Daniel’s Sinead Haughey finished second with a season-best time of 19:11, while Erica Segars finished third with a time of 19:22, which also marked a season-best mark.

Other Lions in the top 20 included Taylor Nordern (10th), Elizabeth Dawson (13th), Allison Droddy (14th), Megan Smith (15th) and Katherine Dickey (16th).

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Tamassee-Salem runners shine at region meet

SALEM — The Tamassee-Salem High School boys’ cross country team recently won the Region 1-A championship, as Thomas Geren, P.J. Heaton and Nick Scholtz earned all-region honors, while Eagles head coach Theresa Peay was named the region’s coach of the year.

The girls’ squad finished as the region’s runner-up, while Abbey Nichols was named the Region 1-A Runner of the Year. Also earning all-region honors for the Eagles were Kaitlin Grogan and Elizabeth Peak.

Over the weekend both the boys’ and girls’ team qualified for the state meet and will compete for the state championship this weekend.