On the 20th anniversary of the Mobile Challenge of Champions, one need not look far down Interstate 65 in Alabama to find its champions. The hunt for the girls’ team titles stopped at Mobile’s UMS-Wright. Competing with only five runners, UMS Wright had little margin for error. By placing four runners in the Top 20 and five just outside the Top 25, the Lady Bulldogs had enough fire power to edge neighboring McGill-Toolen Catholic, 64-70. Led by a stellar performance from national elite Carmen Carlos, who covered the 5k course in 18:02.84, McGill-Toolen secured the runner-up plaque. Local schools Fontainebleau (70) and Mt. Carmel Academy (77) took the next two team spots with solid pack running from both squads. Fontainebleau was led with a sixth place finish by senior Alexa Durham in a time of 20:07.92. Sophomore Ashley Freese led the Cubs of MCA with a 15th place finish in a time of 21:40.51. Metairie Park Country Day finished in 8th and was led by 8th grader Katherine Fagan.
McGill-Toolen dominated the boys invitational division, riding the strength of its seven seniors en route to a 43 point victory over second place Ocean Springs of Mississippi. With four runners finishing in the Top 10 and all five scorers in the Top 20, the Yellow Jackets won with relative ease. Ocean Springs (85) gave chase as runner up, placing its top two runners in third and fourth place to hold off Brother Martin (94). Martin was led by junior Dylan Yates, who finished in 13th in a time of 17:40.12, and senior Ben Dugas (15th; 17:45.93). The top local performance came from Metairie Park Country Day senior Adam Goldberg, who finished in seventh overall in a time of 17:24.44. The Cajuns finished tenth as a team. UMS-Wright’s Robert Hope won the individual title in 16:46.60.