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Good weather and some great racing made for an exciting day at the 2026 Pioneer Invitational. The top finishers took advantage of the conditions to put together some solid performances across the course.
From the Senior Boys:
Charles Sawyer (sophomore) of Greene County Tech took the Championship for the Senior Boys race with a time of 18:04. At the 400m, Sawyer estimated he was in 10th: “I was trying a new strategy,” he said, by moving into the pace he wanted and maintaining. “It worked out well.” Sawyer claimed the lead in the third mile--using the hills on the back stretch--moving from 3rd to 1st. Sawyer says his best advice for new runners is to accept the fact that “running hurts, and if it doesn’t, you’re not doing it right.” That will make everyone just want to jump up and run a 5k.
Runner-up Zeppelin Schultz (junior) of Highland held the lead for a good portion of the race, looking strong and comfortable, and finishing at 18:05. Schultz laughed and said the course was like a Halloween Fun House: “You go in… and see all these hills and you’re like, bro” and the one big hill “just makes it so mentally tiring.” Schultz also spoke of his major supporters: his dad and his coach. “My dad pushed me every day… I am always grateful to have [him] with me.” Schultz says that he greatly misses his previous coach, and every time he runs, he thinks of him. Coach Fox, current coach of Highland, “always gives me that parent energy, and I always run off of that." Schultz offers the following advice to new runners: “You just gotta get up and do it… your first mile will be terrible and the second will be even worse… [but] mileage is mileage, making a 5k feel easy.”
Zeppelin Schultz (grey) at Paragould Rams Invitational 2026
In The Senior Girls Division:
Champion of the Senior Girls, Erin Akins (junior) of Mountain View displayed incredible strength and composure. She took the lead before the 400 mark and steadily gained ground, finishing with a huge lead in 19:20. Akins said the hills were not as bad as everyone claimed and that the weather was great for racing. She has big goals for the next couple of weeks: “I want to get up there at State… top 3, maybe… I think I can do it." Currently, Akins is seeded 2nd behind Maumelle Charter's Mia McFarland (sophomore) and in front of Sara Spakes of Genoa Central. Spakes ran a 19:52.73 at the Minuteman Day and McFarland ran her PR of 18:04.36 at Twilight at PR’ville. Akins tells new runners to remember: “The start is the hardest part, but once you get going, just run fast.” She added with a smile, “The faster you run, the faster you get done.”
Erin Akins finishes with a 2 min and 34 second lead
Quitman’s Kaitlyn Norris (sophomore) earned runner-up; she rated the course a 7/ 7.5 out of 10, because it was a little hot, and there were a lot of hills. Norris says that her start could have been a bit faster, but “once [she] settled into her pace” and her teammate Madilyn Varvil (senior) pushed her. Norris was not in the lead in the beginning, starting to pass opponents on the first lap when they entered the woods and found her position the second time they entered the same spot. “I think I am pretty good about pushing up hills” and they served her well. Norris finished with a time of 21:54, and led her girls to the Team Champion.
Kaitlyn Norris and Madilyn Varvil push to the finish
The Quitman Lady Dogs scored runners in 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 10, giving them a cool total of 23 points.
The Cave City girls team earned 75 points, placing 11th, 13th, 14th, 16th, and 21.
In the Junior Girls Division:
Harding Academy’s Kenzie Hutcherson took 1st place with a time of 9:21.00.
Mountain View’s Eli Akins finished 2nd in 9:29.00, just eight seconds behind Hutcherson.
The Mountain View girls placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 11th, and 13th, giving them a cool total of 30 points.
The Mountain Home Jr. High girls team earned 125 points, placing 8th, 9th, 25th, 37th, and 46th.
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