Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Gray Stone cross-country teams opened the 2020 season with two meets this week.

Knights top Comets, Bulldogs at Chuck Morehead

Tuesday saw the Knights travel to Chuck Morehead Park for a conference meet hosted by Albemarle which also included North Stanly.

Emberleigh Pauley-Brown finished in first place in the women’s race with a time of 23:41, followed by her teammate Grace Eppehimer in 25:38.

Lexi Goode placed first for North Stanly with a time of 25:52 good for third overall, while the Comets’ Milena Hernandez placed fourth in 26:45.

Anna Lynn Carter (5th-27:07), Anaston Trexler (6th-27:08) and Addison Carman (7th-27:11) rounded out the Knights’ top five.

Andi Billingsley placed eighth for the Comets in 27:29 followed by North’s Gia Dunlap in ninth in 28:03.

Albemarle’s top finishers, Brenda Popoca, placed 14th overall.

On the men’s side, Albemarle’s Reyli Alvarez was first overall with a 21:05, besting North Stanly’s Nicolas McClure by two seconds.

Gray Stone took the next five places in the top 10 to win the team event with 19 points. Rodgers Wesley was first for the Knights and third overall with a 21:51 followed by teammates Andy McLeod (22:40), AJ Flynn (22:43), Ashton Reidel (22:51) and Duncan Bryson (23:42).

Christian Poplin finished second for Albemarle and eighth overall in 24:45 followed by Gray Stone’s Jobey Swaringen (9th-25:21) and North’s Reid Rutzler (10th-25:27).

Knights split with Uwharrie Charter

Thursday saw the Knights host and split with the Eagles in a dual conference meet.

Gray Stone won the women’s race with 17 points to the Eagles’ 46. Jenna Freeman took first overall in 21:21 while teammates Kimbel Chapman (24:12) and Angelina Lappin (26:23) were second and third, respectively.

Stephanie Varbanov (fifth-27:06) and Miles Abramson (sixth-27:41).

Uwharrie Charter’s men won with 27 points, one fewer than the Knights.

Rodgers was the top finisher for Gray Stone in second place with a time of 19:40, nine seconds behind Uwharrie Charter’s Drew Capobianco. Flynn was second for the Knights and fourth overall (20:14) while Riedel (20:57) and McLeod (21:01) were sixth and seventh overall, respectively.