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Region cross country championships are nothing new for the Winder-Barrow High School Lady Bulldoggs.

The team won its fourth consecutive region crown last week in Conyers and will enter Saturday’s state championship with hopes of capping another stellar season by finishing among the state’s elite.

“Our seniors have won region four years in a row,” said WBHS coach Amanda Partee-Manders. “They went in with a lot of weight on their shoulders. They really stepped up. They ran the course a couple of weeks earlier and that helped give them confidence. They ran a smart race. I am very proud of them.”

Senior Caitlin Connell won the individual championships in 19:22. Adding to the accomplishment was the fact Connell defeated Cassie Ward of Flowery Branch for the first-place medal. [Full Story »] 

The Winder-Barrow High School Lady Bulldogg cross country runners continued their quality start to the 2012 season Saturday by taking first place at the Mountain Invitational in Clarkesville.

WBHS set a course record with 34 team points. Caitlin Connell paced the Lady Bulldoggs by being the second runner to complete the course. The WBHS senior turned in a time of 21:53. Teammate Whitley Kennedy was third overall in 22:57 among 122 female runners.

“The day went really well,” said cross country coach Michael Lofton. “It was an incredibly challenging course. It was constantly up and down and there wasn’t much flat area. The times don’t seem like we ran well, but we did have a strong race.”
The course was designed by former WBHS cross country coach Sam Stovall, who is now coach at North Georgia Technical College.
Anna Dean (7th overall), Kiana Perez (8th overall) and Amber Duffy (15th overall) completed the top five for the Lady Bulldoggs. [Full Story »] 

The new season will begin a long way from home for the Winder-Barrow High School cross country teams.

The Bulldoggs and Lady Bulldoggs are entered in the Saucony Fleet Feet Cross Country Kickoff Saturday in Savannah. A Coach’s Challenge, which will feature WBHS girls coach Amanda Partee-Manders, begins the day’s event at 7 a.m. followed by the girls race at 8 a.m. with the boys at 8:30 p.m.

“We are ready to run our first meet,” said WBHS boys coach Michael Lofton. “We know there will be a lot of nerves. We ran a trial race to help set up our teams and many runners topped their times from last year.” [Full Story »] 

On an almost picturesque morning, the Winder-Barrow High School cross country teams hosted their own invitational Saturday. With several quality programs competing on the course at Bramlett Elementary School, the WBHS teams held their own and turned in more solid performances as the upcoming Region 8-AAAA meet draws into view.

“I was pleased with the whole day,” said WBHS boys coach Michael Lofton. “The meet went well. We were on schedule the whole time. I was pleased with the number of teams we had and by the level of the runners. I was also happy with our performances. Those who ran, ran very well.”

The WBHS Lady Bulldoggs were second behind Landmark Christian. The two schools ran away from the field as Landmark had 38 points followed by the Lady Bulldoggs with 40. Druid Hills was a distant third with 94.
[Full Story »] 

The Winder-Barrow High School cross country athletes took advantage of what was termed a “fast course” Saturday resulting in top 10 finishes.

The ASICS Invitational in Whitesburg saw the WBHS varsity boys place sixth overall (average time 17:08) in the Championship Division. The Lady Bulldoggs were eighth overall with an average time of 20:09.

“It was a great weekend,” said WBHS boys coach Michael Lofton. “There were perfect weather conditions and we couldn’t have asked for a better course. Our boys really stepped up and our top seven were all under 18 minutes.” [Full Story »] 

A perfect day for a cross country meet produced an almost perfect performance for the Winder-Barrow High School program.

The Lady Bulldoggs took first at Saturday’s Mercer University RunFit Sports Invitational as all five runners were in the top 20, with four in the top 10. The WBHS boys were second with each team member excelling on the course.

“It was a fantastic run,” said coach Michael Lofton. “Everything fell into place. We had great weather. You couldn’t ask for a better morning to run.”

Amanda Cope took first for the WBHS girls with an impressive time of 19:29. Caitlin Connell was third in 19:58. Whitley Kennedy (fourth) and Anna Dean (sixth) were also in the top 10. [Full Story »] 

The Winder-Barrow High School cross country teams will get to put their best foot forward this weekend.

The top runners for the varsity Bulldoggs and Lady Doggs will compete at the Mercer RunFit Sports Invitational in Macon.

The showcase event will have several college coaches in attendance, scouting for their programs. [Full Story »] 

The course was tough and the weather conditions tougher, but the Winder-Barrow High School cross country teams showed a great deal of potential Saturday at a meet held at the University of Georgia Equestrian Center in Bishop.

The varsity girls were sixth overall while the varsity Bulldoggs were 14th. The WBHS junior varsity boys were ninth in their competition.

“Considering the obstacles that were there, this event was wide open,” said WBHS coach Michael Lofton. “There was no shade. It was 95 degrees. The heat was stiffling and sun was intense. We showed the other teams what we are made of by getting after it in this grueling event.” [Full Story »]