Hartselle freshman runner Jonathan Duncan established a new record for the 2-mile run in the Point Mallard cross-country meet on Saturday. His time of 10:44 easily surpassed the junior varsity record set 26 years ago.

“Jonathan has competed as a varsity runner for the past two years with good success,” said Hartselle head coach Kenneth Lopez, “but with his permission we entered him in the 2-mile JV run because it was his last opportunity to compete in the race. He made the most of the opportunity by setting a new course record.”

Earlier in the season, Duncan established a school record in the 5K run and figures prominently in Lopez’s plans for the varsity boys team for the remainder of the season.

Missing Duncan’s presence, Hartselle boys varsity team finished 20th in a field of more than 400 runners.

The girls team came in ninth in a field of 16. Haley Baker paced the team in the 5K run with a time of 23:10. Brantley Owens came in second in her first varsity race with a time of 23.19.

“I thought we did OK but wasn’t overly happy with our performance,” said Lopez. “Homecoming the day before could’ve had something to do with that.”

The teams will get a break from competition this weekend but have two big meets coming up. They will run in the Cullman meet on Oct 22 and the Northwest Alabama Championships in Muscle Shoals on Oct. 27. The regional meet is scheduled for Nov. 5.