HUTCHINSON — Vince DeGrado hopes Allen Community College’s season-opening cross country meet is a prelude of things to come.
The Red Devil men, who were without their No. 1 and No. 5 runners, still cruised to victory Friday in the Terry Masterson Twilight Classic, hosted by Hutchinson Community College.
Brig Merritt led the Allen men’s contingent, finishing the 4-mile race in 21 minutes, 39.5 seconds, good for fifth overall.
He was followed by Owen Taylor in seventh, Henos Andebrhan in eighth, Raymon Gonzalez in ninth and Burch Gre ene in 20th.
The top 20 runners receive medals.
The combined efforts gave the Red Devil men 49 team points, eight better than Cowley.
Cloud County, the defending national champion, also participated, DeGrado noted.
The competition was a first for Allen.
“With the heat I figured it wasn’t going to be the kindest conditions, so we set out to run a more team-packed race,” he said. “Sure enough, it finished the way I figured it would and the field slowly made its way back to us.”
The meet title was the first for Allen in nearly two years, DeGrado said.
“We’re set to have a potentially huge season. I’d say the start of September has the makings for a good season.”
ON THE women’s side, Iolan Rachel Bycroft ran a personal best in the 3-mile course, finishing in 20:40.5. McKenna Esfield took 30th, while Crest High grad Elka Billings battled a side stitch early on and struggled to recover, finishing 36th overall. The Red Devil women did not have enough runners to qualify for a team score.
“Overall, I was very pleased with how we performed, considering everything 2020 has had to offer, and then some,” DeGrado said.
Terry Masterson Classic
Men (4 mile)
