THIBODAUX — South Lafourche brought exactly two runners to the LHSAA Division II Region 2 cross country championship Thursday morning at Bayou Country Club. Both of them are going to state.
Freshman Kimberly St. Pierre finished 10th in 21:46.4, and senior Madie Perrin crossed 13th in 22:00.5, each earning an individual berth to the Division II state meet on Monday, Nov. 16 at Northwestern State in Natchitoches. With only two runners, the Lady Tarpons could not post a team score — five are required — but on a day when the top 25 individuals advanced, South Lafourche went two for two.
That is no small feat in a regional owned, start to finish, by E.D. White. The host Cardinals placed all six of their scorers and displacers at the front of the field, sweeping the top six spots to win the team title with a perfect score of 15. Junior Katie Guidry led the parade in 18:52.5, followed by Catherine Rodrigue (19:18.7), Kynlee Cazenave (19:27.0), Elizabeth Ledet (19:36.8), Annabel Zeringue (20:21.1) and Anna Rodrigue (20:33.6).
St. Pierre was the third runner not wearing E.D. White colors to finish, trailing only Assumption’s Kendra Besson, seventh in 20:39.3, St. Michael’s Caileigh Merchan Zuniga in eighth and East St. John’s Allison James, who held off the freshman by four seconds for ninth in 21:42.2.
For St. Pierre, Thursday was the latest chapter in a debut season that has been one long argument against the seed sheet. She opened her high school career in September with a 21:42 three-mile, then announced herself on Oct. 3 at the Nicholls XC Invitational, where her first-ever 5K produced a runner-up finish in 23:22.92. Perrin was seventh that day, giving South Lafourche two top-10 finishers.
At the District 8-4A championship on Oct. 21 at Peltier Park, St. Pierre was seeded 26th. She finished eighth, in a personal-best 21:33.0. Seeded 14th on Thursday, she again ran four spots better than her paper position, cracking the regional top 10 as a freshman.
If St. Pierre’s season has been a steady rise, Perrin’s has been a late surge. The senior was 16th at districts in 23:46.9 — itself a leap from her 25:09.50 seed — and pre-race projections using season-best times put the final qualifying spot almost exactly on her district mark, making her the most precarious runner in the field.
She made the projections irrelevant. Perrin’s 22:00.5 on Thursday was a personal best by more than a minute and a half, nearly 1:47 faster than she ran at districts just 15 days earlier, and it moved her from the edge of the bubble to 13th place, comfortably inside the cut line. The 25th and final individual qualifier, Brusly’s Victory Clark, crossed in 25:32.3 — almost four minutes behind St. Pierre and more than three and a half behind Perrin.
Cecilia finished second in the team standings with 94 points, edging St. Michael (95). Brusly was fourth at 117, followed by Assumption (119), Liberty (124) and East St. John (133). The girls field drew 47 finishers from nine schools.
The state meet is set for Nov. 16 in Natchitoches, where St. Pierre and Perrin will close a season that South Lafourche contested as a two-girl team — and finished as a two-girl state contingent.
SEASON LINES
Kimberly St. Pierre, freshman
- Sept. 5 — 21:42.0, 3 miles
- Oct. 3, Nicholls XC Invitational — 2nd, 23:22.92 (first career 5K)
- Oct. 21, District 8-4A — 8th, 21:33.0 (personal best; seeded 26th)
- Nov. 5, Region 2 — 10th, 21:46.4 (seeded 14th); state qualifier
Madie Perrin, senior
- Oct. 3, Nicholls XC Invitational — 7th, 5K
- Oct. 21, District 8-4A — 16th, 23:46.9 (seeded 25:09.50)
- Nov. 5, Region 2 — 13th, 22:00.5 (personal best by nearly 1:47); state qualifier
Full results: live.chippedtiming.com
