By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
For a fifth-straight October, Lake Barton was the site of a regional cross country meet Saturday. After hosting Class 5A and 2A meets for several years, the course hosted Class 5A and 3A schools this time. The top-ranked Great Bend girls dominated their race to qualify the team to state. The Hoisington boys did the same with a third-place finish in their race. A pair of individuals will also advance to state.
There was little drama in the girls' race as reigning 5A state champion Katelyn Rupe, a junior from Salina Central, reset her course record for the individual win in 17:21.18. Freshman teammate Kaylie Schultz won the silver in 18:02.05.
It was largely Lady Panthers after that. Senior Addy Nicholson claimed the bronze in 19:06.00, and junior Marissa Boone finished fifth in 19:23.16. Sophomore Sienna Smith ran sixth in 19:41.91, senior Morgan Beckwith placed fifth in 20:00.51, and senior Eliana Beckham won the final team points in 20:12.17 for eighth. Beckwith crossed with a smile on her face in a new personal best on the course.
"I'm a person that's always in the negative mindset but hides it," she said. "Today, one of the other runner's moms came up to me and pulled me away and prayed with me. She said amazing things, things I never took to mind. She said I would blow myself out of the park if I just forced myself to keep a positive attitude and that's exactly what I did."
Freshman Bella Long placed 14th for Great Bend in 21:04.27, and junior Kate Welcher ran 16th in 21:11.74.
Great Bend ran away with the team score with just 29 points. Salina South scored 79 points for second, and Hays beat Valley Center by eight points with 90 to secure the other qualifying spot.
Goddard-Eisenhower won the 5A boys' race with 52 points, followed by Salina Central with 73 points and Valley Center with 95 points. Great Bend placed sixth with 137 points.
Valley Center junior Brock Moses won the individual title by eight seconds in 16:51.53. Panther sophomore Tavon Stroup secured his spot at the state meet with a fifth-place finish in 17:03.26. A 17:46 was needed to qualify for state this year. Panther senior Braylon Moore finished 20th in 18:14.59, and senior Bradon Suppes ran 27th in 18:43.82. Freshman Anthony Lawrence placed 36th in 19:09.04, and freshman Parker Coleman finished 49th in 20:14.77.
Hoisington boys qualify in third
Many athletes in the Class 3A races were seeing Lake Barton for the first time. That mattered little to the Holcomb boys, who scored 29 points to win the 3A race. Lakin scored 78 points for second, and Hoisington placed third by 29 spots with 95 points.
Holcomb sophomore Brody Deniston won the race by 20 seconds in 16:10.67. Junior Kamden Tarlton led Hoisington with a sixth-place finish in 17:16.26. Senior Eli Lewis ran 14th for the Cards in 18:14.92, and senior Michael Hipp finished 19th in 18:34.56. Senior Alex Mater placed 28th in 19:05.98, and junior Landon Beaver scored the final Hoisington points in 39th with a time of 19:56.92.
Two-time state medalist Janae Fugitt, a junior from Cimarron, won the girls' race by 24 seconds in 19:45.66. Hoisington freshman Tristin Compton grabbed a final individual qualifying spot with a 10th-place finish in 21:23.00. A 21:34 was needed to qualify for state. Lyons junior Jocelyn Vargas had the hard-luck finish as the next runner to cross in 21:42.48.
Both the Class 5A and the Class 3A State Cross Country Championships will be held at Rim Rock Farm near Lawrence next Saturday.
