Varsity girls, JV boys are District Champions!!

The varsity girls started off the district meet in a huge way. Three Cougars worked together to sweep the top three individual spots. Sophomore Elizabeth Westlake won the individual title, completing the 2.1 mile course in 13:38. Senior Veronica Rodriguez finished second in 13:55 and Junior Amy Machemehl finished third in 13:56. Impressive runs came from sophomore Nicole Schinderle and junior Tommi Higgins. The girls beat Austin by 30 points.

The varsity boys competed in the second race. Senior Eric Sheppard followed the race plan perfectly and ran behind leader Eskander Abdalla from Bush, but could not hang on due to some recurring shin problems. Senior Chris Pine picked up the slack and finished fifth in 17:43. Sheppard held on for the Cougars and managed a seventh place finish in 17:52. First year runners, Evan Wilson and Bernardo Palomera had big days finishing twelfth and fifteenth respectively. Senior Kenneth Clark rounded out the top 5 with a twentieth place finish in 19:11. Despite their best efforts the team could not hold off Austin, who had four boys in the top 11 including second and forth. Austin won with 43 points, just 16 points ahead of Kempner.

The junior varsity boys race was a breakthrough performance for sophomore Allen Livingston. Livingston ran a smart race, and after the leaders took a wrong turn, capitalized by moving into the lead to become the eventual winner. Junior Yuriy Lozovenko had a great race with a 6th place finish and the team was packed up behind Yuriy! All five scoring runners finished in the top ten. Junior Sean Moreno, junior Emmanuel Osinowo and Sophomore Eric Stewart placed eighth, ninth and tenth respectively.

The freshmen boys ended the day with a second place finish. Led by Shalin Dalal's second place finish the boys ran a good race. Terrence Nwokorie, Corey Gabriel, Floyd James, and Shanup Dalal all finished in the top fifteen to round out the team scoring. However it was not enough to overcome Hightower's effort, who put five runners in the top eight including the individual champion.

The varsity teams will travel to Harris County College on November 6th to compete in the Region III Championships. Be there or be square! Results

District 20-5A Meet set for Friday

The District Championships will be held Friday, October 22nd at Missouri City Community Park. The Kempner Varsity Boys and Girls were District Champions last year and are looking to defend their titles. Senior Eric Sheppard and Sophomore Elizabeth Westlake are considered among the top 3 runners in the district with legitimate chances to win the individual district title. The competition will be tough, especially on the boys side. Come out and support the team this Friday. Scroll down this page for directions to the meet site.

Meet Schedule:
3:30pm - Varsity Girls race
4:00pm - Varsity Boys race
4:30pm - Junior Varsity Girls race
5:00pm - Junior Varsity Boys race
5:30pm - Freshmen Boys race
6:30pm - Awards Ceremony

Heather McClendon serves as inspiration for KXC

Senior Heather McClendon is dealing with bone removal and re-attachment of ligaments. She had to have surgery on her right foot this year which has cost her the season. Heather has not given up on running though. She comes to practice everyday to help out and she is re-focusing on outdoor track season. Heather has been the epitomy of what a teammate should be. She is always out supporting the runners as they practice and compete. It has been really tough on Heather as she has to miss her senior season but she has made the most of it and has set an example for her teammates to follow. Since Heather cannot run she has joined the golf team and will be participating in a golf tournament in Friendswood tomorrow. Good luck Heather!

Sophomore Elizabeth Westlake

Westlake loves competition at varsity level

Sophomore Elizabeth Westlake ran on the junior varsity team last year due to UIL rules. She experienced quite a bit of success as a freshman. Now she is competing for the varsity squad and has continued to be successful late in the season. KXC asked Elizabeth how she does it:

KXC: Elizabeth, you have been running really well in October. The district meet is this week and it is a very important part of the season. Before we get to cross country talk, tell us a little about yourself. Our first question is always: What is your favorite movie?
EW: Finding Nemo, It is just so cute and sweet.

KXC: Ok, what's your favorite food?
EW: My favorite foods are pizza and chocolate. Before a race I always eat spaghetti and garlic bread.

KXC: What is your favorite cross country workout?
EW: Anything hard. I like to be challenged. I also like 200 meter repeats because they make me faster.

KXC: What were your goals coming into this season?
EW: PR, do well at district, and run well at regionals.

KXC: Looking back to last year, what were some of the things that held you back?
EW: I didn't really push myself to my full potential.

KXC: Which meet are you looking forward to the most this year?
EW: District, I'm so excited to see how everyone will do.

KXC: How do feel after running a really tough course in Tomball at the last meet?
EW: I was tired. My time wasn't great but I beat a girl that had beaten me the week before, so that was exciting.

KXC: How much faster will you need to run on the regional meet course to qualify for state?
EW: A lot! There's a lot of tough competition out there.

KXC: How is this year different from last year?
EW: The workouts are tougher.

KXC: How do you feel?
EW: I feel good, oh, I feel so good! Uhh!

Kempner will be defending their District 20-5A Championship this Friday at Missouri City Community Park. The team will need all the support they can get from parents, teachers, friends, and fans. Everyone come out to support the Cougars for the quest to win the district title and bring a friend. Come early, be loud and wear maroon!