SCHWETZINGEN, Germany — Kaiserslautern freshman Colleen Smith outran her upper-class teammates, Joy and Anna Hrushka, Saturday to win the European Big Schools girls cross country championship and lead a 1-2-3 Red Raiders sweep to the team title.
“I took the lead at the top of the last hill,” Smith said.
“I trained all summer for this race.”
Smith covered the sunny and dry 5,000-meter Heidelberg High School layout here in 20 minutes and 26 seconds to beat the Hrushka sisters for the second time this season. She also finished between the two Kaiserslautern stars once.
Joy Hrushka was second in 20:31 and Anna third in 20:33 as Kaiserslautern romped past the runner-up, defending champion Patch, 50-70 in the team standings. Kaiserslautern’s Olyvia Smith placed 18th and Allison Vollkert 28th.
Heidelberg was third with 81 points, and Ramstein a distant fourth with 143.
Unlike Smith, Sigonella’s Ericka Anderson didn’t need to put on a decisive finishing kick. She led wire-to-wire in winning the Small Schools race for runners from Division III and IV schools in 20:51.
“I usually try to get ahead, and keep up my pace,” she said.
Anderson beat runner-up Sarah Haight of Bamberg by 59 seconds and third-place finisher and teammate Sammantha Boos by 69 seconds. Anderson and Boos led the Jaguars to the team title, edging runner-up Milan 32-34.
“I like having two separate races,” Anderson said of the format that calls for separate races for the larger and smaller schools.
“There are a lot of girls way faster than I am out there.”
Sigonella’s Ericka Anderson (left front), and teammate Sammantha Boos take the lead from the outset in the European Small Schools cross country girls championship race. Anderson claimed a wire-to-wire victory in 20 minutes, 51 second, while Boos placed third in 22:00 and the Jaguars won the team title over Milan by two points.
Landon Kemp of Alconbury won his second straight boys small-schools title in 17:16.
