Published: October 31, 2009 12:52 am         

Pacers eye top 5 finish

Enid’s girls are hoping to go where few Pacer teams have gone at today’s girls Class 6A cross-country state championships at Edmond’s Mitch Park.

The Pacers are shooting for a top five finish, something Enid hasn’t done since 2001 when future University of Oklahoma runner Catherine Odell led EHS to a third-place finish. The race starts at 2 p.m.

Enid, which was second to Union at last week’s Eastern Regional, comes into the meet ranked No. 6 in the coaches poll behind Edmond North, Westmoore, Edmond Memorial, Jenks and Union.

“Realistically, I think we can be a top five team,’’ said Enid coach Joe Miranov.

Edmond North, Miranov said, will be a strong favorite, but he thinks the Pacers can run with the other four schools ranked ahead of them “if everybody gets together on the same day.’’

When Enid finished third in 2001, EHS had four runners in the top 32.

“At state, it’s not about times, it’s about passing people,’’ Miranov said. “The year we finished third, it was by one point. You have to be able to pass the person ahead of you.’’

Enid’s sixth and seventh runners, he said, will need to be finishing ahead of the No. 4 and No. 5 runners from other schools, Miranov said. The top five scores count toward the team total.

Katelyn Belisle, who was third in the regionals, is given a strong shot by Miranov to finish in the top 10 and earn All-State honors.

EHS had good depth at regionals with Whitney Warfeld finishing 10th, followed by Mariah Wagner, 19th; Rani Melvin, 22nd; Cara Merz, 27th; Jana Dutton, 43rd; and Kassidi Pruett, 47th.

Melvin and Warfield earned All-State honors two years ago when they were third and fourth in leading Enid to a sixth-place finish.

Enid did not have an All-Stater last season when the Pacers were ninth.

The Pacers are in the state meet for the third straight year as a team. EHS ran the course Tuesday in a practice run.

“We know the course and we know what it takes,’’ Miranov said.