Welcome to the Shockers' crib🏠
it seems that we're in the thick of it, here marks the halfway point of the XC season
Giving Cessna a new look🌾
Cessna Stadium has been the lone host of the Kansas State Track & Field Championships every year but one since 1970. The venue also hosts a number of regular season high school track meets, and both regular and postseason collegiate meets as well. Originally named Veterans Field, it has been open since 1946, but it was expanded and renamed Cessna Stadium fifty-three years ago in 1969.
Last week, the Wichita State University Board of Trustees approved the funding for the first two of four phases of the renovation of Wichita State’s track & field stadium. Once it’s all said and done, the new and improved Cessna will hold over 10,000 screaming fans and have a larger area in the middle for a soccer field.
The goal of the demolition and following renovation will be carried out to accommodate the ongoing track and field meets hosted by Wichita State.
Phase 1A
Projected Start — August 2023
Backstretch track improvements
Underground utility work
Bermed grass seating area (2,390 capacity)
Free-Standing field lights
Ticket pavilion, restroom, storage, plaza
Phase 1B
Projected Start — June 2024
Widens grass field to hold a regulation soccer field
Aluminum bleacher seating at north and south sides of the track to hold 3,460 spectators
Phase 2A
Projected Start — June 2025
Demolition of west stands and press box
New structure with seating for 4.190
Single level of press boxes and suites
Offices and locker room/team areas for future soccer team
Restrooms, concessions and storage rooms
Phase 2B
Projected Start — N/A
Pedestrian plaza between Charles Koch Arena and new stadium to allow room for food trucks, merchandise tents and public space adjacent to Cessna
1A and 1B will cost approximately $11.8 million, and 2A and 2B will cost $39.5 million. It is said that funding for the second half of funding will come from a combination of university funds, private gifts, and local funding sources.
Kansans take on Griak🦫
While running at Baker, we would have one bigger “travel meet” every year, cycling through Griak, Chile Pepper, and the Cowboy Jamboree. Lucky for me, we got to run Griak both my freshman and senior year, and it’s still the two most memorable trips in my collegiate career. Besides the competition being stacked, the weather is always a personal favorite of mine, mainly cause I’m a sucker for fall and rain. From the pictures I saw and stories I’ve heard, it was a rainy one this year as well, as a couple of Kansas schools opted for a trip to the Land of 10,000 lakes instead of the Rim Rock Farm Classic.
Only four schools made the trip, but all four were state champions in one way or another last fall.
Olathe West (6A Girls State Champs)
Olathe North (6A Girls Individual Champ)
Shawnee Mission North (6A Boys Individual Champ)
Wichita-Trinity Academy (3A Boys State Champs)
For the first time in a while, Kansas schools have consistently been threats to both individual and team titles in the high school races, and that stayed true in 2022.
As she has all but once this year for the Owls, Olathe West senior Charis Robinson led her squad, and the Kansas contingent last Friday, taking 21st in 19:25.80. Two seconds back was fellow senior Kate Miller in 19:27.90. The back-to-back 6A state champion Anjali Hocker-Singh is continuing to get her groove back after missing the entirety of her sophomore track season. She took 26th in 19:30.50, which is pretty gutsy for her second race back. To round out what was four Kansans in the top thirty, Bree Newport was 29th in 19:38.20, making it West’s first three athletes within thirteen seconds of one another. Aided by Paige Baker and Sydney All 31st and 45th, the Owls took 3rd as a team behind Wayzata and Cherry Creek. They’ll see Wayzata again in Sioux Falls, SD, as they’ll fight for the top of the Heartland Regional.
For the boys, Trinity junior Clay Shively led the way for the state, taking 6th in 15:44.80, which is not too shabby for that course. Three spots and seventeen seconds back was Shawnee Mission North’s Micah Blomker, who ran 16:01.20, only five seconds shy of his time in 2021 on the same course. Trinity’s Jacob Hobson (16:17) and Sam Ferguson (16:36) took 15th and 33rd, helping the Knights to a 7th place finish in a fifty-five team field. Shively and co. could see all six teams that finished ahead of them again in Sioux Falls, if they compete there later this year.
Rim Rock Recap🔴🔵
While it was rainy, cold, and overcast in Minneapolis, it was sunny, and too warm for September in Lawrence. As the course prepares to welcome back 3A, 5A, and 6A later next month, plenty of athletes had a shake out of sorts.
For those not familiar with a staple meet of the Kansas season, there are three different divisions for the competition based on both school size and skill. Here’s how the University of Kansas describes each division in their meet information.
Gold
Large-sized schools
Very good mid-sized schools
Elite smaller schools
Crimson
Some large-sized schools
Good mid-sized schools
Most small-sized schools
Blue
Developing large schools
Many mid-sized schools
Most small-sized schools
Gold Division
The fastest girl of the weekend by a long shot was Katelyn Rupe, who ran away with the most competitive race of the day, winning in 17:45.5 and nearly winning by a minute over the field. She basically matched the time she ran to win the Manhattan High School Invitational. The 5A favorite remains undefeated as we near the halfway point of the season. Behind her was a mixture of both Kansans and out-of-state competition. Grace Hanson of KC-Piper finished as the runner-up in 18:41.9, as Shawnee Mission East’s Lida Padgett took 4th, 18:49.1, while Hayley Trotter of Clearwater (#GoBigRed) and Washburn Rural’s Payton Fink took 6th and 7th in 18:56.9 and 19:06.2. Blue Springs South came across the state border and won the team title with 144 points, but it was 6A podium contender Washburn Rural who was the highest finishing Kansas team, taking second with 152 points. The next in-state team was St. Thomas Aquinas in 8th.
In a battle of two of the fastest boys in state history, Shawnee Mission East’s Wyatt Haughton and St. Thomas Aquinas’ Colby King battled it out to the very end, running 15:18.5 and 15:19.1, as the 6A and 5A favorites distanced themselves from the field by half of a minute. The biggest story of the day could be the 3rd place finish of Tonganoxie senior Eli Gilmore. The 4A title favorite had a massive breakthrough, lowering his PR by about seventeen seconds, shattering the sixteen minute barrier, running a new school record of 15:49.4. Taking 5th and 6th were also seniors, as Caden Peters of Shawnee Mission East and Maize’ Kaleb Glazier ran 15:58 and 16:02.3.
Shawnee Mission East flexed their firepower, winning the division 119-130-144 over Rogers Heritage (AR) and Garden City.
Crimson Division
In her first race at Rim Rock, Circle freshman Brett Jacobson was the top in-state finisher, taking 3rd behind a pair of out-of-state runners. Jacobson ran 19:32.70, which was close to her previous PR of 19:31.20 that she ran in Wamego. Just behind her was another standout freshman, this time Ryin Miller of Topeka-Seaman in 19:35.60. Both of these freshmen are having fantastic years and are sure to improve even more as we get closer and closer to the state championship next month. Quinn Hays of St. James Academy and Lorna Rae Pierce of Junction City took 6th and 7th, both breaking under twenty minutes in 19:47.8 and 19:55.5. Madelyn Wallace was the last girl under twenty, running 19:55.5 and taking 8th.
St. James Academy ran away with the team title, scoring just 62 points, thirty-nine points ahead of the runner-up Ankeny (IA). Taking 3rd was Topeka-Seaman, scoring 198 in the process.
For the third time this season, Topeka West senior Lenny Njoroge crossed the line before anybody else, running 16:00.1 and comfortably taking down the field. Njoroge is having a great senior year, seemingly making up for the absence of his junior season after he sustained an injury in club soccer. The Charger hasn’t ran slower than 16:00.80 this fall, and has ran as fast as 15:24.61. The next Kansan was Nemaha Central junior John Langill and Blue Valley North senior Prabhav Pagadala took 3rd and 4th, running 16:30.8 and 16:36.7, respectively.
Taking the top spot of Kansas schools was Buhler, who was finally able to knock off other 4A contender Wamego, along with taking down 5A St. James Academy. The Crusaders finished 3rd, scoring 187 points, winning a tiebreaker over the Thunder by just four spots. Wamego took 6th with 219 points.
Blue Division
In the meet’s smallest division, Cheney senior Abbye Hudson led the way, taking 5th behind four Missouri runners, as she ran 20:36.2. Thirteen seconds back was Osage City freshman Emory Speece in 20:49.8, followed by Christ Preparatory’s Elizabeth Kurtz (20:50.3) and Mary Pearce (20:58.1) of Kingman.
While Missouri took the top four individual spots, Kansas took the top four team finishers, as Christ Preparatory Academy, Winfield, Baldwin and Buhler went 1-4, with scores of 89-194-221-248.
It was a 1-2 punch for the Meyer brothers of Wichita Collegiate, as CJ and Will went 16:11.6 and 16:28.7, finishing quite a ways ahead of the non-Meyer athletes. Marysville junior and Clay Center Community senior Silas Miller and Grant Smith were the third and fourth boys to break seventeen, as they did by running 16:51.9 and 16:53.5. In the team race, Holcomb came out (nearly) on top, taking 2nd behind Bishop McGuinness, by a margin of 144-153.as Augusta and Hutchinson-Trinity Catholic took 3rd and 4th with 171 and 228 points.
Reclassification shake-up🧂
In case you missed it, last week was the annual reclassification of Kansas high schools on the edge of their class in terms of enrollment. Some years there has been lots of movement, while other years have had a low number of schools that are making the jump, or shifting down. To no one’s surprise, the majority of schools trading places was 3A and below, as 4-6A each lost one team and gained another, to stay at thirty-six total teams.
3A on the other hand stayed at their total of sixty-four teams, as they gained Concordia from 4A, and they brought in Maur Hill Mount Academy and Atchison County Community from 2A. In the process, they sent Hugoton to 4A, and Pleasant Ridge and Thomas More Prep-Marian to 2A. To hopefully keep it simple, they traded one school with 4A, and two schools with 2A.
Speaking of 2A, let’s jump into the busiest classification during this process, as the second smallest level in the state lost six and gained six teams.
2A Additions (Former Class)
Pleasant Ridge (3A)
Thomas More Prep-Marian (3A)
Rawlins County (1A)
Wichita County (1A)
Meade (1A)
Topeka-Cair Paravel (1A)
2A Subtractions (New Class)
Maur Hill Mount Academy (3A)
Atchison County Community (3A)
Bishop Seabury Academy (1A)
Skyline (1A)
Flinthills (1A)
Yates Center (1A)
Obviously, these moves to and from will most likely affect each school involved, but Meade’s move up from 1A to 2A sticks out to me the most when it comes to cross country.
On the boys’ side, Meade has won the past two state championships, having two state medalists in 2021 and three in 2020. This year, Meade returned all seven members of their title team from a year ago, and were slated to win their third straight later next month. You might be thinking to yourself that a move shouldn’t affect their chances at all, since they’ve got a solid team, but here’s where Meade’s cross country team could end up paying the price for their school’s increase in enrollment.
In 1A, only the top four runners of each team are scored in championship meets, thus you’d only need four runners total to compete as a team. In 2A-6A, the top five runners for each team are scored, putting the Buffaloes in a whole new and once irrelevant scenario.
Before, Meade was virtually only one point behind Quinter in a projected state finish, while now they’re up against Berean Academy, Marion, Trinity Catholic, and Central Heights, which all have a strong top five. That’s not to say Meade doesn’t have a strong top five, it’s just that 2A is extremely competitive this year. Don’t try and count out Meade, because I’m sure they’ll adjust as well as any and get into the thick of it come late October.
Mill Valley is also a team to keep an eye on as they make the move to 6A, which is not out of the ordinary, and they make the girls’ race even more interesting than it was turning out to be.
Olathe West has yet to falter, still comfortably ahead of the rest of the state, as Washburn Rural has begun to try and pull away from Olathe North and Shawnee Mission East. Now that they’ve thrown the defending 5A champions into the mix, who by the way have only run their full squad once this season, anything could happen. But if you think that’s stressful, just wait until regionals get announced.
As I mentioned, 1A lost four schools and gained four schools in an exchange with 2A, but they also added the Kansas School for the Deaf, which was not previously a KSHSAA member.
1A continues to be the “biggest” classification based off the number of member high schools which is 117, as 2A and 3A max out at 64 schools, and both 5A and 6A have just 36.
The Winner Board 🥇
Wabaunsee - Jason McKinney Memorial
Kaleb Arnold — Olpe
Payton Wurtz — Wabaunsee
Southeast of Saline Invitational
Levi Allen — Southeast of Saline
Addisen Wills — Halstead
Southeast Cross Country Invite
Drake Guymon — Cherokee Southeast
Anna Cantrell — Labette County
Republic County XC Invite
Silas Miller — Marysville
Breanna Reeves — Pike Valley
Prairie View - Ramsey Invitational
Tucker Nelson — Anderson County
Bree Allen — Prairie View
Norton HS/JH XC Invitational
Kane Epp — Hoxie
Emma Weiner — Golden Plains
Marion Invitational
Gavin Wasmuth — Marion
Ava Klaassen — Remington
Larned-Abby Trapp-Prescott Classic
Austin Ritsema — Lakin
Avery Boydston — Ellis
Goddard Invitational
Nathanael Chavez — Pratt
Kimber Lovell — Rose Hill
Roy Griak Invitational
Clay Shively (5th) — Wichita-Trinity Academy
Charis Robinson (21st) — Olathe West
Osborne Invitational
Jonny Hamel — Osborne
Mya Schweitzer — Osborne
Stanton County Invitational
Kamryn Golub — Stanton County
Chesney Peterson — Stanton County
Rim Rock Farm Classic
Gold
Wyatt Haughton — Shawnee Mission East
Katelyn Rupe — Salina-Central
Crimson
Lenny Njoroge — Topeka West
Brett Jacobson (3rd) — Towanda-Circle
Blue
CJ Meyer — Wichita Collegiate
Abbye Hudson (5th) — Cheney
OSU Cowboy Jamboree
Henry Born (7th) — Shawnee Mission Northwest
Paige Mullen (3rd) — Shawnee Mission Northwest
Thank you for reading and supporting this! If you aren’t already, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and let any track & field fan know about this so they can stay up to date on Kansas athletics! If you have any questions, comments or concerns, feel free to reach out to us through our email ksxcountrytandf@gmail.com