The MAIS AAAAA East Rankin Academy (ERA) Patriot Cross Country Team concluded their 2021 season on Monday, October 26 at the MAIS State Finals at Choctaw Trails in Clinton. Consistently among the top teams competing in MAIS 5A this year, the varsity girls’ commitment and steady improvement culminated in their first ever state championship, narrowly defeating the defending champion, Simpson Academy, by two points. The state championship effort was anchored by Leah Collipp finishing second and Emily Williams finishing third, both girls earning All-State honors among the top ten finishers. The varsity men did not run a full team, but solo competitor Grayson Blair improved his 5K time by nearly seven minutes, setting a new personal record of 22:51:00.
The JV teams, competing in the 3K open inclusive of all MAIS JV teams combined (regardless of class size), featured the Patriot JV boys finishing fourth out of fifteen teams and the Patriot JV girls finishing eighth of seventeen teams. The JV boys' fourth place team finish included Top 25 performances from Walker Sartin (14); John Parker Pierce (20); and Jadon McGee (25). The JV girls’ top finisher was Jensen Baker in 25.
As a result of the season performance, the varsity girls’ team qualified by time (21:35 average 5K) and state final results to post-season competition at the inaugural Mississippi XC All-State Meet of Champions was held on November 13. This meet pitted the best public and private cross country schools in the state for an overall crown and cross country swag.
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