HS CROSS COUNTRY: Galindo helps Lee girls finish 2nd in district – Midland Reporter-Telegram

Editor’s note: Please contact sports@mrt.com if you have any additional information to share regarding the history of the Lee girls cross-country program.

ODESSA — Nayeli Galindo wanted to leave her legacy with the Lee cross-country program in her final year as a senior.

Galindo and her Lady Rebel runners certainly did that Thursday by putting their program back on the map at the District 2-6A Cross-Country Meet at UTPB Park. The Lee girls placed second with 69 points to qualify for the Region I-6A Meet on Oct. 28 at Mae Simmons Park in Lubbock.

It was the first time a Lee cross-country team qualified for regionals since the Rebel boys achieved the feat in 2004, a time before the 2019 Lady Rebel runners started grade school. Odessa High took the girls team title with 50 points. It’s believed to be the Lee girls’ first trip to regionals as a team in program history according to research done by the Reporter-Telegram.

“They prepped very well and they put in a lot of hard work,” Lee head coach Erika Mickler said. “They ran lots of miles and just came together as a team. We have great camaraderie and they made it happen, so I give all the credit to them and their hard work and effort over the past season.”

The Lady Rebels were boosted by three girls that ran in a pack, as Galindo finished seventh with a time of 21 minutes, 4.25 seconds, Bailey Bingham came in ninth (21:09.24) and Hannah Long finished in 11th (21:14.65).

“We’ve been working on it all season staying together on our runs, whatever we do in practice transfers to a race,” Mickler said. “Nayeli, Bailey and Hannah did a great job of making sure that they stayed together.”

The Lee girls broke through in Mickler’s first-year as the program’s head coach. Mickler said she learned her knowledge of long-distance running from other coaches in Florida and she brought that passion to Lee.

“(Mickler) has really pushed us,” Galindo said. “She has really encouraged us to come to practice every single day and give 110 percent. We leave it all at practice and even at the meets. She would encourage us to (set personal records), hit our times and she wouldn’t let us stop. She wouldn’t let us give up even if we wanted to. She would keep pushing us.”

The Midland High girls will be represented at regionals by fifth-place finisher Sarah Hernandez (20:44.38) and sixth-place finisher Kari Tate (20:59.31), who made it in only her freshman season.

“(Tate) had a rough season this year, but she picked it up for the last meet, so I am pretty proud to go with one of my teammates to regionals,” said Hernandez, who qualified for regionals for the second time as only a sophomore.

The MHS girls finished fifth with 99 points, the first time the team didn’t qualify for regionals since 2014.

In the boys’ race, Lee senior Alvin Avila made to regionals in his final try by finishing seventh with a time of 17:22.03. Avila said he fought off a cold in a race which he called a test of one’s heart.

“I did feel under the weather, but I still pulled through and that’s all it is about being a runner, leaving it all in the race, not being scared and pushing yourself to limits you never thought,” Avila said. “Finally all the work paid off.”

Junior Logan Rutledge qualified for the MHS boys by finishing 10th (17:32.00). It was quite the moment for Rutledge, who was once an 11-minute miler, and recorded a 26-minute time at the 2017 district meet.

“It has been a very long journey,” Rutledge said. “My freshman year, I wasn’t the best runner, but I think the key to what I have accomplished is consistency. I’ve never given up. Recently Eliud Kipchoge, he broke 2 (minutes) in the marathon. I guess he’s right when he says, ‘No human is limited’ because I would have never have guessed I made it to where I am today. But it’s just hard work, the summer workouts, getting up at 5 a.m. most mornings to make it to practice. It’s just dedication.”

The Lee boys finished fifth (92 points) and MHS finished sixth (117) behind meet champion Tascosa (39 points), which claimed its 13th district title in 14 years.

chadorn@mrt.com | Follow Christopher on Twitter: @chris_MRTsports

District 2-6A Cross-Country Meet

At UTPB Park, Odessa

Thursday

Top 3 teams and Top 10 individuals qualify for the Region I-6A Meet, Oct. 28 in Lubbock

x-regional qualifier

Boys

Team standings – 1. x-Amarillo Tascosa 39, 2. x-Odessa Permian 65, 3. x-Odessa High 79, 4. Wolfforth Frenship 89, 5. Lee 92, 6. Midland High 117

Top 10 individual runners – 1. Demitrius Guerrero, Tascosa, 16 minutes, 17.47 seconds; 2. Kaden Navarrete, Tascosa, 16:28.28; 3. Adrian Lujan, Odessa High, 16:31.34; 4. Christian Chavez, Permian, 17:04.09; 6. Michael Ledbetter, Permian, 17:04.89; 7. Alvin Avila, Lee, 17:22.03; 8. Joseph Flotte, Odessa High, 17:23.02; 9. Jalon Jackson, Frenship, 17:28.62; 10. Logan Rutledge, Midland High, 17:32.00

MISD team results

Lee – 7. Avila 17:22.03; 18. Chris Lopez 18:00.09; 19. Chanler Bushman 18:00.52; 20. Nicholas Herden 18:02.44; 28. Samuel Gonzalez 18:38.56; 35. Jarek Jurado 19:36.81

Midland High – 10. Rutledge 17:32.00; 14. Jacob Phiffer 17:49.18; 29. Michael Ozuna 18:42.06; 30. Nathan Milefsky 18:44.94; 34. Tristan DeLucas 19:15.44

Girls

Team standings – 1. x-Odessa High 50, 2. x-Lee 69, 3. x-Amarillo Tascosa 79, 4. Wolfforth Frenship 93, 5. Midland High 99, 6. Odessa Permian 108

Top 10 individual runners – 1. Nathalia Escontrias, Odessa High, 19:50.25; 2. Odalis Lujan, Odessa High, 19:51.38; 3. Lillian Muller, Tascosa, 20:40.18; 4. Farrah Creery, Tascosa, 20:42.88; 5. Sarah Hernandez, Midland High, 20:44.38; 6. Kari Tate, Midland High, 20:59.31; 7. Nayeli Galindo, Lee, 21:04.25; 8. Audrey Allen, Frenship, 21:08.22; 9. Bailey Bingham, Lee, 21:09.24; 10. Emma Lopez, Frenship, 21:14.03

MISD team results

Lee – 7. Galindo 21:04.25; 9. Bingham 21:09.24; 11. Hannah Long 21:14.65; 15. Karimme Conejo 21:31.22; 27. Montana Mack 22:43.56; 28. Makayla Marcom 22:51.88; 31. Perla Rascon 23:29.91

Midland High – 5. Hernandez 20:44.38; 6. Tate 20:59.31; 23. Serena Gonzalez 22:24.12; 30. Emery Martinez 23:16.75; 35. Isabelle Lopez 23:54.03