By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
With teams like Lenexa's St. James Academy, Overland Park's St. Thomas Aquinas, and Wichita's Bishop Carroll winning 16 of the last 18 Class 5A girls' cross country titles, the state's second-largest classification is notoriously tough. This fall, a pair of individual runners are ensuring the tradition continues. Saturday in Topeka, Topeka Seaman junior Ryin Miller smashed the state 5K record in 16:32.62. Girard's Cailie Logue, a six-time All-American at Iowa State University, set the previous record of 16:46 in 2016.
But Miller is not running alone in Class 5A this year. Salina Central senior Katelyn Rupe, who has committed to run at North Carolina next year, set the Lake Barton record during regionals last year in 17:21.18. She reset that record in 17:14.86 at the Great Bend Invite on Sept. 5. Central sophomore Kaylie Shultz ran an 18:05 at the Lake Barton regional last year and improved to 18:02.05 in her first meet of 2024.
Rupe's time on Sept. 5 was the early leader in Kansas this fall until Miller ran a 16:59 two days later in Manhattan. Miller won that race by 75 seconds, and just two girls managed to break 19:21 on the course. After Miller broke the record Saturday in Topeka, Rupe ran a 16:52.70 later that evening in Olathe to win the Twilight meet. Schultz ran second in 17:28.50. No other Kansas girl ran under 18 minutes.
The back-and-forth is hardly new between the trio of top-tier runners. Rupe won last year's Class 5A cross country title at Rim Rock in 17:36.20, followed by Schultz in 17:58.90, and Miller in 18:36.80. Miller gained the upper hand by last spring, beating Rupe by four seconds to win the KU Relays 3200m run in 10:13.97. The next day, Miller beat Rupe by five seconds to win the 1600m run in 4:53.74.
That set the stage for an impressive state track meet in May. Miller, Rupe, and Spring Hill's Marisa January all came in under the previous 5A state record time in the 1600m run with Miller taking the gold by more than three seconds in 4:51.58. Rupe put the pedal down in the 3200m run, smashing a 41-year-old state record by 16 seconds and beating Miller by the same margin.
Class 5A regional sites have not yet been announced but the trio will likely again steal the show at the Class 5A State Cross Country Championships at Rim Rock Farm on Saturday, Nov. 2.