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<p><strong>CROSS COUNTRY</strong></p>
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<p><strong>Sharks lead local runners, Eagles’ Antia places sixth</strong></p>
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<p>May River’s Anya Arroyo and Victoria Sosa earned a pair of top-five finishes, and Bluffton’s Earlon Baker placed eighth Saturday to lead a trio of Lowco squads at the Cici’s Sandhills Invitational in Columbia.</p>
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<p>Arroyo’s impressive season continued at the Sandhills Research Center, where she placed second in 19:09.80, just behind James Island sensation and defending state champion Hannah Vroon (18:50.50). Sosa (19:47.19) joined her teammate in the top five with a fifth-place finish.</p>
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<p>Charlize Antia (20:01.04) put up a stellar sixth-place finish to lead Beaufort High, while Bluffton’s Aubrey Sampson (20:37.49) and Ava Gerschutz (21:19.10) placed 15th and 34th.</p>
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<p>The Bobcats paced the local boys’ contingent, as the freshman Baker (17:21.71) took eighth place. Tyler McMahan (17:58.79) put together a solid race, crossing the line in 35th to help Bluffton (228 pts) place sixth in the team standings. Cohen MacDonald (17:45.03) excelled for May River in 22nd, and Noah Wasserman (17:51.45) was right behind in 28th. Connor Eby (17:32.76) led the way for Beaufort High, finishing just nine seconds out of the top 10 in 17th place.</p>
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<p>The Region 7-4A cross country championship is set for Saturday in Bluffton.</p>
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<p><strong>SWIMMING</strong></p>
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<p><strong>JPII girls 4th; Porada captures gold at SCISA state meet</strong></p>
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<p>Hilton Head Christian Academy’s boys placed third behind state champions Jack Ussery and Levi Eidson, Hilton Head Prep’s Sterling Burd matched Ussery with two individual titles, and John Paul II’s Aubrey Porada captured a state crown to lead the Lowco contingent at the SCISA State Swimming Championships on Saturday at the North Charleston Aquatic Center.</p>
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<p>JPII’s girls also turned in a strong performance, finishing fourth in the Class 2A/1A ranks. Porada led the way with a win in the 500 free, blazing the competition by 15 seconds, and claimed silver in the 100 breast, missing a second gold by just 1.5 seconds. She also anchored the 200 free and 400 free relay teams that placed third, swimming alongside Riley McGoldrick, Nel Winslow, and Olivia Johnson. McGoldrick also took silver in the 100 fly and placed third in the 200 free.</p>
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<p>Beaufort Academy placed fifth in both the boys and girls standings thanks to solid showings across the board despite just two individuals posting top-four finishes. Emma Grace Dinkins was fourth in the 100 free, and Kaylee Bartholomew took fourth in the 500 free and the 100 breast for the Eagles.</p>
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