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Jerry Melnyk is a “hill guy” and it paid off for the Little Rock Central junior Monday.
Melnyk pulled away from his two closest competitors during the third mile to capture first place in the 7A-Central Conference boys cross country meet.
He completed the 5K run in 16 minutes, 22.45 seconds and won by more than 10 seconds on a warm and breezy afternoon at the Rolling Hills Golf Course.
Pressured by Morgan Warneke of Conway and Luke Lindsley of Bryant for most of the second mile and the start of the third, Melnyk reached the hills and began to put some distance between him and his pursuers.
“I just kicked it in there because I knew I was a better hill climber,” Melnyk said. “I just climbed up the hill and just took it. ... I like hills. I train on hills. I’m a hill guy.”
Warneke claimed second in 16:32.83 and Lindsley held on for third in 16:42.75.
Cabot won the boys team competition, with five of its runners placing in the top 10. Catholic finished as the runner-up.
Cabot junior EmKay Myers won the girls individual race in 19:39.17, finishing 28 seconds in front of teammate Allison Sinning. Despite the Lady Panthers’ one-two finish, Cabot finished second to Bryant in the girls’ team competition.
For Melynk, it was his second conference victory in as many years. As a sophomore, Melynk won on the same course in 15:58.
“I knew the times would not be as good today,” Melynk said. “It was a lot warmer today [than in 2009].”
Melynk also said the wind played a factor in Monday’s times.
“It was crazy windy especially where they have the driving range,” Melynk said. “I had to lean forward a ton just to maintain my momentum. This year’s conditions weren’t near as good as last year’s”
Myers also said the wind played a factor in her time.
“It was kind of hard to push myself without actually dying,” Myers said. “Nineteen thirty-eight is really slow for me but I really didn’t have a time goal.”
Myers pulled to the front almost immediately.
“I thought Allison was closer than she was, so she was definitely pushing me,” Myers said.
Bryant had four girls finish in the top 10, including sophomore Hannah Raney, who finished third in 20:50.19.
6A-EAST
Mountain Home junior Wil Norris outfinished a hoard of Russellville runners to win the 6A-East boys cross country meet at Rolling Hills.
Norris won the race in 16 minutes, 55.51 seconds, edging Russellville’s Kyle Jones by four seconds. Russellville also had runners finish in the third through sixth places to easily capture the team title. Mountain Home was the runner-up.
Samantha Mohler, a junior from Mountain Home, won the girls individual race in 19:36.96. Her teammate, sophomore Kelsie Harris, was second in 20:12.29.
Van Buren won the girls title, placing four girls in the top 10, including a thirdplace finish by Maris Valente (21:16.24).
Sports, Pages 19 on 10/26/2010