By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Two of the top runners in Kansas are coming to Great Bend. For a fourth-straight fall, the Great Bend High School cross country teams will host a Class 5A regional meet at the Lake Barton course. For a third-year in that stretch, the Oct. 22 races will also include a Class 2A regional.
“It’s awesome that, for the fourth year in a row, we’re able to host this,” said GBHS cross country coach Lyles Lashley. “With the COVID year, we would have had two classes out all four years, I believe. To be able to bring 24 teams into the community, knowing we’ll hopefully have a few of the west teams stay the night in hotels and eat in town, with all the fans, especially since we’ll be done around lunch time. It’s nice to have them where they can come in and spend the money in Great Bend.”
The Class 5A girls, including Great Bend, will run first at 10 a.m. The Lady Panthers dominated the regional field last year, placing all five scorers in the top-eight to finish with 30 points. Maize South, who returns on Oct. 22, finished second with 69 points. Great Bend went on to finish third at state, and reigning state champion Mill Valley has moved to Class 6A.
“It’s nice to be able to come out and run on our course because we obviously have a big home-course advantage running out there with all the turns, and knowing the knicks and knacks of the course,” Lashley said. “It’s definitely a blessing for us.”
Salina Central sophomore Katelyn Rupe medaled in tennis instead of cross country as freshman, but set school records last spring with gold medals in the 1600m and 3200m runs. She won the Rim Rock Invitational this year in a state-best 17:45.
Stanton County senior Chesney Peterson returns to Great Bend after winning the Class 2A regional and state title last fall. In May, Peterson tied Jackie Stiles, becoming just the second female athlete in state history to capture 400, 800, 1600, and 3200m golds in one state track meet, and she did so with some of the best times in state history. The same day Rupe ran in Rim Rock, Peterson ran a sub-18 time in an uncontested race on her home course in Stanton County. On the track, Peterson ranks No. 4 all-time in the state's 800m ranks, No. 13 in the 1600m run, and top-25 in the 3200m run.
“You can come out to the course and see two of the best girls in a long time come out and compete at our course, and have a chance to root on the Panthers, too,” Lashley said.
The Class 5A boys’ regional is slated for a 10:40 a.m. start. Panther senior Kaiden Esfeld won last year’s regional crown in 16:29, 20 seconds slower than the course-record of 16:09 he set earlier this season. Esfeld went on to finish third at state.
Peterson and the rest of the Class 2A girls, including Ellinwood, will run at 11:20 a.m. Stanton County has won the last three Class 2A titles. The Class 2A boys will begin at noon. The Stanton County boys have won two of the last three Class 2A crowns.