Polk County will have plenty of representation at the 3A state cross country championships.
The Wolverine girls qualified as a team for the state meet for the first time since 2019, while Liam Jackson earned an individual berth in the boys race Saturday at the 3A West Regional at Tryon International.
Polk’s girls finished sixth in the regional team standings with 158 points, earning the program’s first trip to the state meet in seven years.
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Freshman Sophia Junge led the Wolverines with a seventh-place finish, completing the 5K course in 21:20.8.
Sadie Schweitzer was Polk’s second finisher, placing 42nd in 25:21.6. Ethne Broyles followed in 44th at 25:26.4, with LilliAnna Rhymer 48th in 25:52.2 and Kendra Kitchen 55th in 27:55.1 to complete Polk’s scoring five.
Pine Lake Prep dominated the girls team competition, scoring 23 points to win the regional title. West Lincoln finished second with 70, followed by Owen with 91, Patton with 110 and Hendersonville with 131.
Patton’s Elisabeth Sawdy won the individual championship in 19:05.2.
Jackson, meanwhile, continued his strong postseason with a sixth-place finish in the boys race. The junior crossed in 17:29.5 to earn his spot in the state championship field.
Benji Ballenger was Polk’s second finisher, taking 34th in 19:08.7. Liam Finch placed 40th in 19:24.0, Grayson Rowe was 48th in 19:49.0 and Caleb Young finished 61st in 20:41.0.
Austin Martin placed 69th in 21:26.0 and Silas Amorelli was 72nd in 21:30.0.
Polk finished seventh in the boys team standings with 160 points. Surry Central won the regional championship with 42 points, with Pine Lake Prep second at 59 and Shelby third with 114.
Surry Central’s Eduardo Ramirez Romero won the boys race in 17:06.4.
Jackson will race Friday at 9 a.m. in the 3A boys state championship at Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville. The Polk girls will compete in the 3A state championship at 10:20 a.m.
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