Beaufort County runners claimed the top four places, and three local teams qualified for the state championships at the Class 4A Lower State girls cross country qualifier Saturday in Darlington.
Hilton Head High ran away with the team title, while individual champion Shannon Smith led Beaufort High to a third-place finish with a 5K time of 19:29. Bluffton finished eighth in the 14-team field to claim one of nine team berths in the state meet.
The Seahawks posted a team score of 42 points, as all five of their scoring runners finished in the top 18 overall. AC Flora was second with 101, followed by Beaufort with 124. Bluffton (189) was eighth.
Smith edged Hilton Head’s Sarah Neville (19:38) and Cynthia Gudaitis (19:51) for the individual crown, with Beaufort’s Charlize Antia (19:53) in fourth. Hilton Head’s Sarah Cooke (7th, 20:27) and Beaufort’s Anna Brown (9th, 20:46) also cracked the top 10.
Reagan Gilman (12th, 21:06) and Amanda Magnin (18th, 21:55) rounded out the scoring for the Seahawks. Ava Gerschutz (13th, 21:13) and Kaitlyn McDonagh (14th, 21:32) led the way for Bluffton.
The top nine teams and any individuals from non-qualifying teams who placed in the top 40 advance to the Class 4A state championships Saturday in Camden.