By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

East St. John’s Baishawn Pratt and St. Charles Catholic’s Reyna Lubin each placed in the top 50 of their respective classifications in Tuesday’s Cross Country state championship meet at Northwestern State.

Pratt placed 43rd out of 283 Class 5A runners, finishing with a time of 16:55.

Lubin meanwhile finished 49th out of 135 runners in Class 3A, posting a time of 22:47.

Two of Lubin’s teammates weren’t far behind her. Erica Blank finished 58th with a time of 23:29. Kelly Lienhop was 65th, running a time of 23:44.

Chris Graugnard finished 77th among 143 Class 3A boys, posting a time of 19:57. Mark Folse finished 92nd, with a time of 20:48.

Dawn Brooks led the ESJ girls, posting a time of 23:19, good for 116 of 193 runners.

“We did ok. Not as well as I expected, two of our runners didn’t make the trip,” said ESJ Coach Paul Dupuy. “There was a lot of speed in this race though, The top eight runners all finished under 16 minutes. This was one of the fastest in awhile.

“It’s a learning experience. We’ve got a lot of young guys to develop, that can take it to the next level.”

Philip Primeaux of Catholic High took first overall among 5A boys with a time of 15:25. Catholic runners captured four of the top 12 spots.

Dupuy estimates Pratt’s time would have placed him much higher not all that long ago.

“Baishawn probably places in the top 20 two years ago,” he said. “The runners are getting a lot faster in the past few years.”

St. Scholastica’s Angela Laborde captured the top spot among 5A girls, running a time of 17:48.

Among 3A runners, Redemptorist’s Jesse McDavitt (15:57) and Jewel Sumner’s Avelina Trout (20:00) took the top spots.