Students from several area elementary and middle schools recently competed at the first-ever Queen of Peace Academy Kids Cross Country Race. Students in Kindergarten through eighth grade had the chance to compete in long distance races, which ranged from 800-meters (or a half-mile) up to to one-mile for middle schoolers.

The teams also were able to collect points based upon how the students finished in the race, with ten points going to the first place finisher, nine points for second place and so on. The team scores were the combined score from the middle school and elementary school runners.

Queen of Peace Academy (QPA) earned the first place trophies for both the boys and girls team scores. Kimball Wiles Elementary and Hidden Oak Elementary tied for fourth place in the boys’ team competition, while Lawton Chiles Elementary runners earned fifth place in both the boys’ and girls’ team scores.

In addition, QPA runners took first place in five of the eight events at the competition. Among QPA’s first place finishers were Preston Higgs, Natalie Laywell, Megan Majewski, Jack Halasz and Charly Coogan.

QPA is located at 10900 SW 24th Ave. For more information, call the school at 332-8808 or visit the school’s website at www.queenofpeaceacademy.org.

K-1 Boys- 800 meters

Place. Name, School, Time

1. Preston Higgs, QPA, 6:08.5

2. Cody Thompson, Dunnellon, 6:31.5

K-1 Girls- 800 meters

1. Natalie Laywell, QPA, 4:26.6

2. Olivia Moreschi, QPA, 4:27.2

3. Savannah Laywell, QPA, 4:38.6

4. Claire Cuesta, QPA, 4:45.8

5. Carmen Merolle, QPA, 4:51.7

6. Morgan Wright, QPA, 5:01.1

7. Nadiah Beauford, QPA, 5:26.3

8. Olivia Byrne, QPA, 5:37.2

9. Chyanne Bowlen, QPA, 5:57.8

Grades 2-3 Boys- 800 meters

1. Chase DeMichele, St. Pat’s, 3:29.7

2. Nathan Meyer, St. Pat’s, 3:33.4

3. George Cuesta, QPA,  3:42.6

4. Alex VanWert,  Hidden Oak, 3:57.5

5. Justin Clark, Hidden Oak, 4:10.2

6. Brian Byrne, Chiles, 4:26.0

Grades 2-3 Girls- 800 meters

1. Megan Majewski, QPA, 3:42.6

2. Meg Stockman, QPA, 3:50.5

3. Kaitlyn Thompson, Dunnellon, 4:18.9

4. Elizabeth Halasz, QPA,  4:35.9

5. Amber Gillette, Chiles, 5:17.2

Grades 4-5 Boys- 800 meters

1. Jack Halasz, QPA,  3:30.9

2. Tyler Wright, QPA, 3:48.9

3. Matthias Laywell, QPA, 4:20.0

4. Adam Thornton, Wiles, 4:40.7

5. Nathan Thornton, Wiles, 4:46.7

Grades 4-5 Girls- 800 meters

1. Jana Demichele, St. Pat’s, 3:30.1

2. Hayley Finnen, Williston, 3:34.3

3. Sara Howe, St. Pat’s, 3:39.1

4. Maria Cuesta, QPA,  3:50.6

5. Maria Merolle, QPA,  4:14.0

6. Kendra Beauford, QPA, 4:21.6

7. Megan Harwick, QPA, 4:31.9

Grades 6-8 Boys- 1-Mile

1.Ryan Lewis,  St. Pat’s, 6:56.7

2. Andy Harwick, QPA, 6:57.1

3. JP Harwick, QPA,  7:25.4

4. Chris Branch, St. Pat’s,  7:26.4

5. Luke Rose, Dunnellon, 8:45.8

6. Greg Robinson, St. Pat’s,  9:16.4

Grades 6-8 Girls- 1-Mile

1. Charly Coogan, QPA, 6:58.8

2 .Cecilia Cuesta, QPA, 7:25.9

3. Brittany Lakham, Dunnellon,  7:37.2

4. Hanna Byrne, QPA, 7:50.4

5. Teresa Cuesta, QPA, 7:51.1

6. Lauren Rose, Dunnellon, 8:32.6

7. Tiffany Jacobs, QPA, 9:01.3  

BOYS’ TEAM?SCORES

1. QPA                                               62

2. St. Pat’s                                         41

3. Dunnellon                                       21

4. Tie-  Wiles and Hidden Oak        13

5. Chiles                                             6

GIRLS’ TEAM?SCORES

1. QPA                                                   138

2. Dunnellon                                       21

3. St. Pat’s                                         18

4. Williston                                         9

5. Chiles                                            6