Area runners competing as individuals at the state cross country meet
Posted On: Friday, Nov. 13 2009 05:15 AM
DreVan Anderson-Kaapa, Killeen High – The two-time District 25-4A individual champion and headliner of Killeen's three-straight team titles finally got through the Region IV meet. Anderson-Kaapa finished third at the regional meet in 15 minutes, 45 seconds and became Killeen's first state cross country meet qualifier since Zachary Davis in 2005. Being a trend-setter isn't new to to the senior. As a junior, he became the first Killeen district runner to qualify for the state track meet since his cross country and distance coach, Carlos Quinones set state records in the 800 and 3,200 at the 1981 and 1982 state track meets, respectively, and won third in the 1,600 in 1980 and 1982. Anderson-Kaapa finished seventh in the Class 4A 800-meters at the June state meet.
Derwin Graham, Copperas Cove High– Graham is the District 12-5A champion and the first Cove runner to reach the state meet since Anthony Smith in 2006. The junior placed eighth in a super-competitive Class 5A Region II meet, as he finished the three-mile course in Arlington in 15:13.97, moving up from 12th place in the first mile and nearly catching the seventh-place finisher at the end (Houston Cypress Woods' Craig Nowak ran a 15:13.69). Graham, who won the Temple Invitational and Hewitt Kiwanis Midway Invitational this season, improved his time from the district meet to the regional meet by nearly 40 seconds.
Celeste "Bee" Meyer, Florence High
– Meyer has made the state cross country meet four years in a row. She placed fourth at the regional meet this season with a time of 12 minutes and 17.23 seconds and fifth at the 25-2A meet.
She was less than a second behind Courtney Haas of Geronimo Navarro at the regional. Haas placed fourth in the state last season. Meyer's best time of the season is an 11:54, which she ran at the Salado meet. That time would place her second if she could repeat it. Last year she ran a 12:57.72 and placed 41st at the state meet, which was held at Old Settlers Park.
Regan Tindell, Belton High – Tindell is making her third straight trip to the 5A state cross country meet. The senior placed third at the state meet in 2008. At the Region II meet last Saturday in Arlington, Tindell finished third with a time of 11 minutes and 16.7 seconds, once again finishing behind rival Sarah Andrews of Conroe The Woodlands and Amanda Russell of Cedar Park Vista Ridge. Andrews won the meet with a time of 10:55.
Tindell's personal best and she ran an 11:02.82 at the state meet at Old Settlers Park last season, behind Andrews, but a second ahead of Russell.
Her personal best time was a 10:51.2 at the Region II Championship in 2008.