As for Allyson Hudek, she trimmed another two minutes off her 5K time following Saturday’s effort at the Bob Schul Invitational at Milton-Union High School. Hudek ran the 3.1-mile course in 23:52.7 for 24th place overall in the girls small-school division.
At the Alex Fultz Monroe Invitational on Monday, Hudek finished eighth in 25:50.1.
“This is only her second year of ever running. We’re expecting some good things out of her,” Madison coach Danielle Cesaroni said. “Her goal is to beat her sister in the next couple of years.”
Hudek is one of two girls on the Madison team along with freshman Emily Webb. Webb finished 55th at the Schul Invitational in 27:00.5. She ran the Fultz in 37:23.5 for 33rd overall.
“It stinks because we can’t place as a team, but that’s okay,” Hudek said. “Emily is getting faster and I think she’ll probably catch up to me by the end of the season.”
Saturday’s course was slick in spots, especially on the dirt path in the woods, following an early morning shower. That forced runners to slow up approaching the mud and causing times to be a tick or two slower.
“I pushed myself pretty much as hard as I could,” Hudek said. “When I was running I was trying to focus on keep going.”
Last season’s Schul Invitational had 190 girls in the small-school division. There were 103 on Saturday.
The field was trimmed to comply with COVID-19 guidelines. Masks were mandatory on site. Social distancing between teams took place both at the start and at the finish -- starting boxes were spaced further apart compared to previous meets. Runners were immediately guided to designated team areas once crossing the finish line. Spectators were not permitted at this year’s meet.
“It’s sad because Abby can’t come to my races,” Hudek said of her older sister, who attends the Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences in Cincinnati. “She always cheers me on. She’s like my good luck charm. Every race she went to last year I did better.”
Hudek said she decided to give distance running a try because of her family. There are days, though, where she still thinks she’s a little crazy for punishing her body like that.
“Yeah, a lot. Probably every race,” Hudek said, smiling. “I just like running and pushing myself as hard as I can. The feeling after you’re done running is like the best feeling. You feel like you accomplished something.”
Hudek and Webb weren’t the only ones dropping time Saturday. Cesaroni said Madison’s three varsity boys also set personal records Saturday.
“The boys did a great job and it’s a muddy course. They had to slow down a few times but the all did awesome,” Cesaroni said.
Sophomore Cooper Wright led the Mohawks in 19:37.1. He was followed by freshman Brice Klapper (24:20.1) and freshman Braden Gorski (32:57.2).
Carlisle’s girls also competed at the Bob Schul and were led by senior Abby Goodpaster (34th, 24:59.4).
Lebanon senior Faith Duncan won the girls big school race in 18:20.6. She trailed Oakwood junior Grace Hartman the first two miles, then worked her way past Hartman with about a half-mile to go. Hartman finished in 18:35.4.
“I tried to put in little surges where I could to wear her out,” Duncan said. “I could hear she was getting tired but she held on long enough to get to a turn or a tangent before me. I didn’t want to wait to sit back and kick at the end.”
Duncan won the Schul as a freshman and again as a junior. She battled through injuries as a sophomore and spent much of last season doing low-risk training to fully recover.
The Lebanon girls finished second as a team, trailing champion Oakwood 45-46.
Franklin freshman Kensington Black finished sixth overall in 19:43.5 to lead the Wildcats. Monroe sophomore Anna Ross placed 58th in 24:57.3 to pace the Hornets.
Lebanon’s boys won the big school title with 29 points to outdistance runner-up Waynesville’s 53. Senior Jacob Corbett led the Warriors’ with third place in 17:06.7.
Monroe senior Wyatt Phipps was fourth in 17:15.6. Franklin freshman Chris Bond was 27th in 18:26.7 to lead the Wildcats.
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