There will be a good representation of the Purple and Gold in the state cross country meet next week.
School Communications Director Mike Hutchens said Union City’s Ainsley Sadler, Ainsley Beard, and the entire Tornado boys team qualified for the Class 1A event at Shelby Farms in Memphis with strong showings in Tuesday’s Section 3 Meet at Dresden.
Sadler, who made the state field a year ago as a freshman, finished seventh overall in a field of 93 girls on Tuesday with a time of 22:23. Beard (22:41) placed 11th in the 3.1-mile race and also medaled for the Twister girls.
Hadlee Duncan finished 28th.
The Union City boys – coming off a stellar regular season – qualified for the state meet as a team for the first time since 2020 with a third-place finish in Tuesday’s regional. Just three points separated the top three finishers, with Dresden taking first place and Madison Academic finishing second.
Woodrow McKinnis, who ran in the state meet last year as a sophomore and finished 30th in a field of more than 200 participants, led a quartet of medalists for Union City with a sixth-place individual finish Tuesday. Rushdon Howell was eighth, Madix Turner 10th, and Miloh Turner 13th in the Tornado line-up that competed in a group of 123 runners.
McKinnis was clocked at 17:16, while Howell came in at 17:45. Madix Turner was timed at 17:59, and Miloh Turner finished at 18:16.
Also competing for Union City were Owen Waggoner (34th), Camden Watts (55th), and Bryce Daniels (59th).
The boys’ state race will begin at 11:30 a.m. on November 6th, with the girls’ event to follow at 12:20.
(photos: Mike Hutchens – School Communications Director)
