Who's trophy is it anyway?🏆❔
Vega & Trotter are at the top, & Katelyn Rupe is here to stay
What’s happening in 5A??🤯
The fastest returner from a year ago and only a junior is Mill Valley’s AJ Vega. When he’s not busy playing on some of the highest stages in soccer, Vega spends his time running fast 5k’s. The Jaguar leads the way for 5A in 2022, after a hefty number of medalists graduated, eleven to be exact. He was 12th last fall in Augusta, but his 15:28.90 was no fluke, as he had already broken sixteen at the Greg Wilson Classic, which isn’t a walk in the park. This year, he won’t have teammate Chase Schieber to run with, but with the experience he’s gained in his first half of his career, he’s one of the top dogs of 5A and isn’t going to surrender that spot easily, it’s going to take a lot if anyone is going to reel him in.
Last year, Colby King was a key piece of the Saints’ “Big 3,” alongside Logan Seger (Oklahoma) and Ashton Higgerson (Air Force), possibly one of the craziest high school trios I’ve seen. On their best day, the trio could have potentially thrown down times of 15:05.80, 15:25.60, and 15:32.40. What if I told you that their “best day” was at the Olathe Twilight, when they did just that. Honestly that doesn’t have much impact on what I’m writing about, but it’s pretty cool, right? Regardless, King is lone returner, and is tasked with leading a Saints team that is 8-0 in the state championship, the second longest streak in state history (correct me, if I’m wrong). I still don’t believe that King has neared his peak in terms of how close to 15:00 (maybe under) he can get, but considering runners before him, it’s not an impossible goal. Knowing the way that Justin Wrigley’s athletes have been known to progress, King is a definite threat for the state title. I mean he’s already got one, why not aim for another?
I dare you to find a stronger 1-2 punch than the duo of Shawnee Heights Thunderbirds: Kory Sutton and Jackson Esquibel! Last fall was the first cross country season that the pair was at full strength the entire length of the season, and boy was it fun. On four separate occasions, Sutton and Esquibel were the first two boys to cross the line, doing so at the Joe Schrag Invitational, the Seaman Invitational, the United Kansas Conference meet and their 5A regional in Topeka. In different races, each Thunderbird went well under the sixteen minute barrier, with Sutton running 15:41.80 and Esquibel in 15:49.77. As Sutton prepares for his senior year and Esquibel is entering his junior year, the T-Bird duo would love to end Sutton’s prep career with some hardware. In the wise words of Kevin Garnett, “Anything is possible!”
Just because they didn’t get a paragraph doesn’t mean that you should count out guys like Kaiden Esfeld of Great Bend, or either half of the Timberwolf duo of Micah Paschke and Thomas Caul. Heck, DeSoto’s Joshua Fulmer or Kapaun-Mt. Carmel’s Luke Brock who are dark horses as well. Yes, there are favorites to win and front runners heading into the season, but this is cross country and nothing is set in stone.
Last year, Blue Valley Southwest was eyeing a state title and the honor of snapping St. Thomas Aquinas’ streak of seven (now eight) state championships. As the season went on, Aquinas’ 1-2-3 became more potent, and they were able to squeak past the Timberwolves thirty-second pack time. This year, I’m not sure if Blue Valley Southwest is going to repeat their 2021 results. Graduation hit the Saints hard, as both the state champion and runner-up walked across the stage in May, along with their number four. King and Alex Waldie are the only returners of the top five from state, while the Timberwolves are returning Paschke and Caul, along with Crew and Canyon Buehler, who are both sub-seventeen as well. Heading into the season, there is roughly a minute gap separating their four and five, and the closer they get, the stronger they get.
The next two teams chasing Southwest are Shawnee Heights and DeSoto, both looking to end their year on the podium. Supporting Sutton and Esquibel are Andrew Emerson and Stephen and Evan Carter, who are all under 17:45. The T-Birds are aided by their front running duo, and would benefit from their remaining scorers all running under 17:00. DeSoto is led by Fulmer but also returns Palmer O’Connor, Connor Jacober, Vance Krudwig and Luke Swarts. O’Connor, Jacober and Krudwig are coming off of a runner-up 4x800m finish at state in May, and have some good momentum to carry them through into the fall.
Lansing’s sub-sixty second pack time and lead runner Jack Steger make the Lions a dark horse for the podium, and it’s not too far out of reach. Finally, knowing St. Thomas Aquinas, I don’t care what stuff looks like on paper for them, if you count them out this early, you need to familiarize yourself with Justin Wrigley and that program. Say it with me, “anything is possible.”
Trotting her way to the top🏃♀️
This is Hayley Trotter’s world and we’re just living in it! I know she’s gotten recognition for her accomplishments, but I feel like it’s still not enough. She’s won four state titles, and has never left a state meet without a medal. In cross country, she placed 12th and 3rd her freshman and sophomore year before winning it all last fall, and on the track she’s won a handful of medals as well. Last fall, she won all but two races, both times finishing behind six-time state champion Jentrie Alderson. Besides that, she ran the table in 4A, on average, winning by fifty-eight seconds. The closest a competitor ever got to the Clearwater senior was seventeen seconds, and that at the Rim Rock Farm Classic. In the spring, she lost just two races during her in-state season, on her way towards double-gold in the 1600m and 800m. Not to mention, she unofficially became the 9th fastest 800m runner in state history, running 2:12.36 at the USATF Junior Olympics. This fall, there is no doubt in my mind that Trotter is the girl to beat, and, unfortunately for the rest of 4A, I think she is going to be even faster than her 4A leading 19:09.61.
Trying to chase down the defending champion is a daunting task, but it’s slightly easier when it’s you and two of your teammates. That’s the case for the trio of Hanna Keltner, Sydney Owens and Phoebe Fletcher, who are looking to lead Eudora to their second consecutive state title. Keltner, only a sophomore, is the second fastest returner in 4A, just one-fifth of a second back of Trotter’s PR. She was runner-up to Trotter last October on the rolling hills of the Wamego Country Club, and is back for round two. Owens, who is heading into her junior year, was four seconds back of her teammate in that race, and would love to run side by side again. Fletcher, who took 11th that day was forty seconds back of Owens, but her PR puts her right up there nearing a transition into the nineteens. There are only four girls in 4A under twenty, and two of them are Cardinals. Let’s just say, it will be a tough task for a team to dethrone Eudora from their seat at the top.
“Hey what about me?” is probably what Rock Creek junior Kyra Lippert has been saying until she got to this part of the newsletter. The fourth and final girl entering the season with a 19 in front of her time, took 5th last year behind Trotter, the Eudora duo and Baldwin’s Diana Messick. With only the top three returning, a top three finish is definitely possible for Nippert, who is looking to close the gap between her and the runners ahead of her, but she is fully capable of doing so.
If you can’t tell from what I’ve written so far, Eudora is in a really good position heading into their 2022. Like really, really good. Yes, it helps when you return your top four runners, but it also helps when the team that took a very close second to you lost their top three runners who all placed in the top ten. Yes, Baldwin was hit heavy by their graduating class, but they’re a program that will surely be back one way or another. Eudora has the 2nd, 3rd and 5th fastest girls in 4A, and are riding the wave from the trio’s seven individual medals from Cessna in May.
Leading the chase pack is Rose Hill, who return five of their seven athletes from last year. Kate Dare, their number one runner in 2021 is back and ready to end her senior year on a high note. Lending her a hand are Alexa Marshall and Kyrsten Lucent. Lucent was one place away from a medal the last time around, and Marshall, a junior, is the Rocket’s number two and less than a second from breaking twenty-one. Rounding out their scorers are Elliot Herod and Savanna Crawford, who help the Rose Hill 1-5 split be just seventy-eight seconds, the second fastest pack time in the field.
The girls of Baldwin have won twelve state titles since 2002, and four since 2015. This is a program that knows how to win and how to progress its athletes into their best possible form. Led by two juniors and a sophomore, the Bulldogs have a lot of potential, but like I mentioned, losing three top ten finishers in one graduation ceremony isn’t helping them. On the bright side, even with the loss of Messick, Smith and Landreth, there is still a strong chance they end their year on the podium. To lose your top three and still be in that good of a position is a pretty great spot to be in just weeks from the beginning of the season.
Both Buhler and Louisburg are the first teams off of the podium based off the data, but not that far off. Both are returning six athletes from their state team’s a year ago, where they placed 4th and 5th respectively. Buhler has Lindsay Warner under twenty and leading the way for the Crusaders, while the pair of Emma Vohs and Maddy Rhamy are both under twenty-one. Buhler may have the advantage with their eighty-four second pack time to Louisburg’s two minute and forty-seven second split. Either way, both are threats for the coveted podium finish, and both have the strength to do so.
While I spent my Saturday morning going to Target and getting a burrito from Chipotle, the Salina-based Winter Soldiers/Distance Inc. were splitting their time between Abilene and Salina. One of the biggest stories from the weekend were the performances from training partners Jentrie Alderson and Katelyn Rupe. The pair ran at the Cowboy Up 5k in Abilene, where both girls ran huge PR’s and beat the majority of the field in the process. Alderson is swapping her purple and white for some crimson and gold as she begins her collegiate career for Pittsburg State. On the grass, Alderson got her best down to 18:20.70 for the 5k, which is already a great mark heading into your freshman year of college. She decided that her current PR wasn’t good enough, so she went ahead and shaved another forty-three seconds off, running a 17:37 on the road. That’s got to make Coach Rutledge and Coach Barrows pretty excited. For Rupe, who, keep in mind, HAS NEVER RUN HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY, reaffirmed to the rest of the state that she’s here to stay. (if her two state titles in May weren’t enough). She finished just three seconds back of Alderson, running 17:40, and getting me even more pumped to see what she can do on rolling hills and uneven footing.
Just like Rupe’s performance gets me excited for the season, that was only amplified when I realized who finished first and second in the race. Brayden and Cayden Walker, who compete for Southeast of Saline, made the 3A race that much more interesting. Brayden is only fourteen and set to be a freshman, with Cayden entering his junior year. Heading into the season, the Trojans had a nearly two minute pack time and only two boys under seventeen. With two new additions to the sub-seventeen club, the gap between them and Wichita-Trinity may have just gotten a lot closer, but that’s for another newsletter. Additionally, with how fast the Walker brothers both ran, you might as well call them the "Runner” brothers.
There’s a public apology for that pun coming soon.
All-in-all, both Salina-Central and Southeast of Saline are looking to be in good shape heading into cross.
Do you want to know what the best possible thing for the sport is? If you said “using what you’ve been given to give back,” then you nailed it! Eliud Kipchoge, the 🐐, used his award money from his sub-two hour performance at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge, to build a library in Kenya. The Eliud Kipchoge Library, that has the phrase “No Human is Limited” above the doorway, is a place where “people through all walks of life can come together.” I’m sure that if Eliud was a subscriber to The Lead Pack, he would love this. Well done Eliud, THIS is #GFTS.
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Keep up the coverage! Nice work