The Franklin Academy cross country teams got their seasons off to a running start on
Wednesday, August 30, coasting to easy victories in their first conference meet of the season.
In the meet, hosted by Falls Lake Academy, the girls team was anchored by an outstanding
performance from junior Caitlyn Burkett, who won the 2.6 mile race with a time of 17:20.
Burkett was followed at the finish line by teammates Sam Burr, Taylor Roberts, and Hannah
Franklin, with the Patriots claiming the race’s top four finishers. In the team scores, the Patriots
finished with 22 points, 29 points lower than second place Voyager. On the boys side, the
Patriots were led by the trio of Zach Bunner, Aaron Rovnak, and Jonathan Wertz. Although not
as dominant in the individual finishes as the girls, the boys’ efficient and tactical pack running
proved to be more than enough to pick up the victory. As a team, the Patriots scored 28 points,
finishing 48 points ahead of Voyager, who claimed second in both races.