Cole Dowdy breaks the course record

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Brothers Cole and Tanner Dowdy of South Oldham went 1-3 in the Kentucky 3A championship race and together with 2014 champion Brennan Fields drove the pace so that the record could fall.

Cole Dowdy ran 15:20.4 to break the Kentucky Horse Park record owned since 2012 by Jacob Thomson. Fields caught Tanner Dowdy near the finish line to take second in 15:30.2.

St. Xavier put its entire top five in the first 11 spots to dominate the team title after losing out to South Oldham by a point in 2014. St. Xavier scored 37 points for its 20th state title. South Oldham was second with 87.

In the girls race, three talented sophomores ran together over much of the course. Alena Sapienza-Wright of Dupont Manual broke away from Kaitlyn Lacy of Male and Kathleen Simms of Sacred Heart and kicked to the win in 18:09.5. Lacy was second in 18:19.2 and Simms was third in 18:24.2.

Daviess County won the team championship with 89 points.

In Class 2A, Michaela Reinhart of Lexington Catholic became the first person to win the girls race that wasn’t from the Karas family since 2009. Reinhart rand 18:03.7 and beat North Oldham senior Erin Edmundson (18:30.0). Caterina Karas of Collins won the 2A title in 2010 and Gabby Karas has owned it since then. But after placing third the Class 2A Region 3 meet a week prior, the four-time state champion and Foot Locker finalist sat out the state meet with an injury. Highlands won its fourth straight team title.

Ethan Shuley from Highlands won the 2A boys race in 15:33.5. But North Oldham, thanks to the 2-3 finish of Trenton Fryman and Alex McClarty, won the team title with 61 points. Highlands was second with 71.

Senior Aaron Wier from Lexington Christian won the Class 1A boys race in 15:56.2 and by a margin of 10 seconds. He also led his team to the championship with 74 points. Freshman Selena Mattingly ran 18:52.9 to win the girls race by 26 seconds. St. Henry District won the girls team title with 60 points.