Accolades keep coming for former Mason County Lady Royal Layla Henderson during her freshman season at Northern Kentucky University.
Henderson has been named the Horizon League women's Freshman of the Year for Running Events for the indoor track and field season.
Last fall, Henderson was named Horizon League Freshman of the Year in cross country.
Henderson was twice named Horizon League Freshman of the Week during the cross country season.
Northern Kentucky University freshman Layla Henderson broke her own school record in the 5000 meter finals at the Horizon League Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday at Youngstown State University.
Henderson, a 2023 graduate of Mason County High School, finished in fifth place with a time of 16:48.20. That's 28 seconds faster then her previous record.
Northern Kentucky University freshman Layla Henderson of Maysville set a new personal record (21:42.3) and finished 98th at the 2023 NCAA Division I Southeast Regionals in Spartanburg, South Carolina on Friday afternoon.
NKU senior Sophia DeLisio and Henderson are the first Norse runners to finish in the Top 100 in the regionals in program history. DeLisio finished 94th.
Another NKU freshman from Maysville — Paige Decker — was seventh for the Norse and 215th overall with a time of 24:27.9.
NKU was 25th in the team standings, tying its best finish in the regionals.
Former Mason County cross country standout Layla Henderson is the Horizon League Freshman of the Year.
Henderson was the top freshman finisher and placed 19th overall at the 2023 Horizon League Championships in Dayton, Ohio on Saturday with a personal record of 22:07.74 and helped Northern Kentucky University to a sixth place finish.
She is NKU's first cross country runner to win the conference Women's Freshman of the Year award.
Layla Henderson has been named Horizon League's Women's Freshman Runner of the Week for the second time this season.
Henderson was the first freshman from the Horizon League to cross the finish line in the Red race of the Bradley "Pink" Classic and finished 70th overall out of 181 runners in her first collegiate 6K.
Her time of 22:22.1 is the 10th best in the 6K in NKU history.
Henderson, 2023 graduate of Mason County High School, won her first Horizon League Women's Freshman of the Week award on October 3.
Mason County High School alum Layla Henderson has been named the Horizon League's Freshman Runner of the Week.
Henderson, a freshman at Northern Kentucky University, finished 21st at the Live in Lou Classic at Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville last Saturday with a personal record of 18:27.9.
Henderson opened the season with a third place finish (19:35.21) at the Queen City Invitational.
Bryant Curtis won the 40th Annual Knights of Columbus Joe Donovan Memorial River Run this morning in Maysville.
Bryant completed the 5K course through downtown and the west end with a time of 18.14.
Layla Henderson was the female winner, crossing the finish line with a time of 20:45.
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| Bryant Curtis |
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| Layla Henderson |
The Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association released its 2023 Outdoor Track and Field All-State Teams Wednesday and six Mason County athletes earned recognition.
Lexi Young was named to the First Team in the high jump and long jump and Second Team in the 100 meter dash and 200 meter dash.
AJ Barrett was named to the First Team in the pole vault.
Layla Henderson was named to the Second Team in the 1600 meter run.
The girls' 4x800 meter relay team of Paige Decker, Kolby Galloway, Elizabeth Lavinder and Layla Henderson was named to the Second Team.
Mason County athletes set three new school outdoor records at the state track and field championships last Friday.
Lexi Young broke her own school record in the high jump by clearing five-feet, eight inches.
Peyton Ullery's time of 2:00.00 in the 800 meter run broke the record of 2:02.00 set by Jeremy French in 1990.
The girls' 4x800 meter relay team of Paige Decker, Elizabeth Lavinder, Layla Henderson and Kolby Galloway set a new record with a time of 9:51.79.
Here are a few news and notes:
Mason County seniors Paige Decker, Layla Henderson and Avery Sims signed today to continue their academic and athletic careers at Northern Kentucky University, Henderson and Decker for track and cross country, Sims for track.
Decker and Henderson led the Lady Royals to the Region 6 cross country championship and a fourth place finish at the KHSAA Class AA State Cross Country Championship last year.
Decker was the individual region champion and finished eighth at the state meet. Decker was also the region champion as an eighth grader.
Henderson was third at the region meet and 20th at the state meet.
Henderson broke the school indoor record for the two mile run in February and the school indoor records in the 1500 meter run and the 3000 meter run in March.
Last spring, Henderson won the region championships and set new outdoor school records in both the 1600 meter run and the 3200 meter run.
Decker, Henderson and Sims are members of Mason County relay teams which have won region titles.
Sims also competes in the 400 meter dash and played basketball.
Decker, Henderson and Sims were members of Mason County's state runner-up team at the Class AA Clark Pump-N-Shop State Track and Field Championships last June.
The Mason County Lady Royals set three new school records and took third place at AJ's Heart of the Bluegrass Track Classic in Harrodsburg Saturday. The Royals finished in seventh place.
The new school records were set by Lexi Young with a first place finish in the high jump (5-06.00), Ava Thompson in the pole vault (10-06.00) and the girls 4x800 meter relay team of Layla Henderson, Kolby Galloway, Elizabeth Lavinder and Paige Decker (10:04.24).
Young also won the long jump (17-07.50).
Here is a link to the complete results.
The Mason County Invitational is next Saturday.
The Mason County girls' and boys' track and field teams were both runners-up, while Lexi Young and AJ Barrett won events at the KTCCCA Class AA Indoor State Championships on Saturday in Louisville.
The Lady Royals were edged by North Oldham by a single point, 61-60. The Royals finished with 66.5 points, 12.5 points behind the Bourbon County Colonels.
Young is the state champion in the high jump (5-00.00) and the state runner-up in the long jump (16-10).
Barrett is the state champion in the pole vault clearing 14 feet, four inches. That's a new school record.
Two other Mason County athletes won medals: Austin Moreland, third in the 60 meter hurdles (9.37) and third in the 400 meter dash (53.00) and Keshaun Thomas, third in the triple jump (40-08.25).
Young set a new school record in the 60 meter dash (8:05).
Layla Henderson set new school records in the 1500 meter run (5:04.74) and the 3000 meter run (10:52.18).
Peyton Ullery set a new school record in the 1500 meter run (4:22.05).
CJ Arthur tied the school record in the 60 meter dash (7.29).
Next up is the outdoor track and field season.
Mason County track athletes Austin Moreland, Peyton Ullery, Elizabeth Lavinder and Layla Henderson broke indoor track school records at the KTCCCA Presidents' Day Weekend Invite in Louisville this weekend.
Moreland broke the 60 meter hurdles record with a time of 9.36 on Saturday.
Ullery broke the 800 meter run record with a time of 2:05.48 on Sunday
Lavinder broke the 1000 meter run record with a time of 3:23.47 on Sunday.
Henderson broke the two mile run record with a time of 11:59.43 on Sunday. Lavinder held the previous record.
(Updated to include Layla Henderson's record-breaking run.)
For the second straight week the Mason County girls' and boys' indoor track and field teams swept the team titles at a Mason County meet.
The Lady Royals finished with 156.5 points. Bishop Brossart was second with 100 points.
The Royals won the boys' meet with 114 points. Simon Kenton was the runner-up with 63 points.
Less than 24 hours after sinking the game-winning free throws in the Lady Royals' win over Scott, freshman Lexi Young won three events: the 55 meter dash (7.51), the high jump (5-04.00) and the long jump (16-06.25)
Other first place finishes by Mason County athletes include:
The Mason County girls' and boys' indoor track and field teams swept the first meet of the season at the Mason County Indoor Athletic Complex on Saturday.
The Lady Royals finished with 127 points. St. Ursula Academy was second with 75 points and Dixie Heights took third place with 65 points.
The Royals won with 108.5 points followed by Bishop Brossart (88.5) and Bourbon County (53).
First place finishes by Mason County athletes include:
Team standings: GirlsMason County seniors Paige Decker and Layla Henderson were named to the Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Class AA All-State cross country team today.
Decker and Henderson led the Lady Royals to the Region 6 championship and a fourth place finish place at the KHSAA Class AA State Cross Country Championship.
Decker was the individual region champion and finished eighth at the state meet.
Henderson was third at the region meet and 20th at the state meet.
Mason County Lady Royals Paige Decker and Layla Henderson named today to the AA Cross Country KTCCCA All State team! Congrats Ladies pic.twitter.com/gosoMJ7kxt
— Mason County XCTF (@MasonCountyXCTF) November 2, 2022
For the second straight year, the Mason County Lady Royals finished in fourth place at the KHSAA Class AA State Cross Country Championships. It's the Lady Royals' fifth consecutive podium finish.
The Mason County Royals finished in 23rd place in the boys' meet, two spots better than last year.
Senior Paige Decker led the Lady Royals with an eighth place finish with a time of 19.59.54. Layla Henderson, also a senior, finished in 20th place with a time of 20:53.
Junior Peyton Ullery was the Royals' top runner. He finished in 45th place with a time of 18:02.20.
Lexington Catholic won the girls' state championship with 64 points. Scott was the runner-up with 100 points followed by Elizabethtown (153), Mason County (161)) and North Oldham (181).
North Oldham won the boys' state championship.
The state championships were held today at the Bourbon County Cross Country Course.
Mason Co Lady Royals with their 5th straight State Cross Country Meet Trophy finishing 4th today. The celebration kiss knocks Coach Kachler's hat a little sideways!! pic.twitter.com/7JDm7WhHgR
— Mason County XCTF (@MasonCountyXCTF) October 29, 2022
Mason County senior Paige Decker was the individual champion and she led the Lady Royals to the team title today at the Class AA Region 6 cross country meet at Boyd County. It's the Lady Royals 10th regional team championship in the last 15 years.
In the boys' meet, Mason County sophomore Deshawn Overly was the individual runner-up and he led the Royals to a runner-up finish, their best finish since 2012.
The Lady Royals had 35 points. Boyd County was a distance second with 65 points and Russell was third with 66.
Decker crossed the finish line with a time of 19:02.06.
Layla Henderson was third (20:08.18), Elizabeth Lavinder was seventh (20:46.96), Morgan Carpenter was 12th (21:50.83), Ava Thompson was 13th (21:57.93), Alexis Decker was 22nd (22:47.56) and Hadley Maher was 31st (23:28.78)
Boyd County won the boys' meet with 34 points followed by Mason County with 66 and East Carter with 81.
Overly had a time of 17:24.23.
Peyton Ullery as seventh (17:36.15), Alex Brannon was 16th (18:37.61), Elijah Reed was 19th (19:19.45), Jackson Truesdell was 22nd (19:38.88), Keenan Galloway was 31st (20:32.88) and Casey Magee was 34th (20:46.06).
The Lady Royals and Royals both advance to the state meets next Friday at Bourbon County.
Lady Royals Paige Decker wins Region 6 AA individual XC title leading her team to the title over Boyd Co pic.twitter.com/fTbkbqaBSE
— Mason County XCTF (@MasonCountyXCTF) October 21, 2022
The Mason County Lady Royals cross country team won the Area 7 Championship today. The Royals were the runners-up in the boys' meet.
The Lady Royals had 48 points. Boyd County was second with 61 and Russell finished third with 68 points.
The Royals finished with 66 points. Boyd County won the boys' Area 7 Championship with 30 points.
Mason County senior Paige Decker was the individual runner-up with a time of 18:54.71.
Two other Lady Royals finished in the top 10: Elizabeth Lavinder was sixth (20:01.32) and Layla Henderson was eighth (20:26.78).
Dashawn Overly led the Royals with a ninth place finish (16:55.02).
Mason Co Lady Royals win Area 7 XC Championship pic.twitter.com/7X0XeItLjb
— Mason County XCTF (@MasonCountyXCTF) October 8, 2022
Mason Co Royals 2nd at Area 7 XC Championship pic.twitter.com/mn85Kk4oBR
— Mason County XCTF (@MasonCountyXCTF) October 8, 2022