1980 Coaches' Invitational
(This meet did not become known as the Wendy's Inv. until 1983.)Saturday - September 27, 1980
McAlpine Greenway Park, Charlotte, NC
1980 Cross Country Menu | Main Menu
BOYS 1 Spartanburg (SC) 91 2 Chapel Hill 106 3 Irmo (SC) 126 4 Greensboro Grimsley 138 5 Greenville JH Rose 152 6 East Mecklenburg 198 7 North Forsyth 200 8 Kingsport Dobyns Bennett (TN) 233 9 Asheville T.C. Roberson 234 10 Charlotte Myers Park 265 11 Asheville A.C. Reynolds 312 12 Charlotte Independence 322 13 South Mecklenburg 330 14 Rock Hill Northwestern (SC) 338 15 Charlotte Harding 395 16 East Lincoln 424 17 Asheville Clyde Erwin 486 18 Morganton Freedom 487 19 North Gaston 554 20 South Rowan 555 21 West Charlotte 561 22 West Mecklenburg 611 23 Hickory 614 24 Charlotte Garinger no score 1 Ken Costello Irmo (SC) 15:33.4 2 Kenny Smith Greenville Rose 15:34 3 Ken Dowdle Charlotte Myers Park 15:41 4 Leon Yates Chapel Hill 15:49 5 David Neish Chapel Hil 15:54 6 Harry Williams Greenville J.H. Rose 15:55 7 Jim Ailshie Dobyns Bennett (TN) 16:14 8 Jeff Waataja Northwestern (SC) 16:17 9 Steve Conway Spartanburg (SC) 16:17 10 Guy Hartman Charlotte Myers Park 16:19 (only the top 10 listed) GIRLS 1 Chapel Hill 61 2 Irmo (SC) 80 3 Charlotte Myers Park 95 4 South Mecklenburg 103 5 Greensboro Grimsley 116 6 East Mecklenburg 171 7 Charlotte Independence 192 8 West Charlotte 207 9 Hickory 213 10 West Mecklenburg 248 11 Asheville Clyde Erwin 255 1 Lene Hestdal Charlotte Myers Park 19:35.4 2 Susan Baer Chapel Hill 19:47 3 Page Morton Greensboro Grimsley 19:56 4 Barbara Davey Charlotte Myers Park 20:05 5 Tina Bekedorf South Mecklenburg 20:15 6 Bev Meares Irmo (SC) 20:16 7 Jill Britton South Mecklenburg 20:28 8 Beverly Davey Charlotte Myers Park 20:30 9 Renee Moog Asheville Erwin 20:33 10 Heather Cairns Chapel Hill 20:47 (only the top 10 listed) This meet did not become known as the Wendy's Invitational until 1983.) 1980 was the first year that Girls cross country was recognized by the NCHSAA as an official sport. Source: The Charlotte Observer, Sunday - Sept. 28, 1980 Spartanburg, Chapel Hill Run To Titles By Susan Shackelford, Observer Staff Writer
Myers Park's Ken Dowdle was unhappy about his start, Irmo's Ken Costello was unhappy about his finish and Greenville Rose's Ken Smith was just happy to be there. That's the way the top three boys' finishers felt Saturday after their portion of the Coaches' Invitational cross country meet at McAlpine Park. Costello, a sophomore, edged Smith, 15:33.4 to 15:34, as they bettered 155 other runners. The top 24 finishers also topped the course record (16:58.2). Myers Park's Dowdle, last year's runner-up in the N.C. cross country meet, was third in 15:41. In the girls' meet, Myers Park's Lene Hestdal had little trouble beating the other 38 girls in the 11-team field, winning in a course-record 19:35.4. Second, at 19:47, was Chapel Hill's Susan Baer. The meet attracted the most runners (342) and teams (35) in its six years, and local coaches said it is the highest-caliber high school invitational this season in the Carolinas. Both defending boys' state champions were on hand -- N.C.'s Chapel Hill and S.C.'s Irmo. Neither won the meet title, however. Spartanburg, which placed its top five finishers between ninth and 30th, edged Chapel Hill 91 - 106. Chapel Hill's runners were scattered from fourth to 40th. Chapel Hill won the girls' title, 61 - 80 over Irmo. In the boys' race, Costello led most of the way and wasn't really threatened until the last fifth of the 5,000 meters. Smith ate away a 15-yard lead, and Costello held on. "I only have an average kick," Costello said afterward, "I try to get the lead in the middle, so I will have some to give up. How close was he? I was hurting so bad; I didn't know." For Smith, the race was opportunity to face Dowdle after finishing fifth to him last spring in the 1,600-meter race at the N.C. high school track meet. But Smith said he wasn't pushing for Dowdle, that he "working for the team". "I was waiting for him to move at the half(way point)," Smith said, "but he never moved." Dowdle said he got thrown off early. "I didn't get the position I wanted," he said of the crowded start. "Guys were cutting back and forth in front of me ... I have to get out quicker than I did. Today, I kind of hung back, and that's what did it." Hestdal, a foreign exchange student from Norway running cross country for the first time, won the girls' event despite a stress fracture that has bothered her for a week. "I was afraid before starting," she said, massaging her foot afterward. "I had to go our a little bit fast and hold it because I can't sprint." In Norway, she is a cross-country skier and middle-distance runner in track. "In cross country skiing, it's up and down," she said, moving her hand to show the gliding effect. "This (cross country running) is harder." Meanwhile, the Spartanburg boys' team celebrated its first victory over Irmo, a traditional S.C. power. A week ago, Spartanburg had tied Irmo for second (behind Walton High of Marietta, Ga.) in a meet at Irmo. Spartanburg coach Jim Kilbreath has built the team in only two years there, and he said the key has been training in the summer. "That builds closeness on a team," he said. "That's what we have now." Kilbreath said 25 of his team's 31 runners completed a "500 club" in the summer, running at least 500 miles (about 6 a day) from the last day of school -- June 9 -- until Aug. 31. Top team finish among Mecklenburg schools was East Mecklenburg's sixth place. Myers Park was 10th, Independence 12th, South Mecklenburg 13th and Harding 15th. Among upper-state S.C. teams, Northwestern was 14th. East Lincoln's 16th was best among Piedmont N.C. schools. Main Cross Country Menu | Main Menu
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