everything xc, everything t&f, everything Kansas🌻 | Read "The Lead Pack" | Listen to The BackTrack Podcast🎙️ | send race results to ksxcountrytandf
@gmail
.com
The first ever girl’s team to qualify for Nike Cross Nationals from Kansas, none other than the Owls of Olathe West! The ladies took second behind Wayzata, scoring 140 points. They put up a forty-one second pack time and averaged an 18:31 across the board. Congratulations ladies!
The world-leader, collegiate record holder, and Pittsburg State superstar, Cordell Tinch, has announced he's turning pro!🔥
@DoyleManagement
announced this morning that Tinch was the newest member of the
#DMG
family, joining some of the greatest track & field athletes in the
Anyone else feeling a little bit of Déjà vu?
Six years after they were making state history together, Emily Venters (Free State), Cailie Logue (Girard) and Molly Born (SM Northwest) all qualified for outdoor nationals together! All three women will be running the 10,000m final
If you haven't already, let us know where the state's track & field/cross country athletes are heading to compete in college! We're putting together a list, so the more the better!
Best wishes to XC teams across the state. Take care of business but don’t forget to enjoy the process the people and the overall environment. Soak it all in. This is a day you most likely will never forget!
The NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field National Championships kick off today in Austin, TX! To our knowledge, eleven Kansas high school alumni are competing over the next four days!
William Jones -- Blue Valley
Cailie Logue -- Girard
Emily Venters -- Lawrence Free State
Molly Born --
5 races, 4 state titles, 1 historic weekend! 🏆🏆🏆🏆
Tonganoxie senior Eli Gilmore became the first-ever Kansas boy to win the 400m, 800m, 1600, and 3200m in a single state meet, replicating a feat that only Jackie Stiles and Chesney Peterson have accomplished. Gilmore's feat
Kansan, Katelyn Rupe out of
@SCXC19
finishes in 28th place at Nike Cross Nationals in a muddy mess with a time of 18:17.8 in Portland OR. Congratulations Katelyn!
Tanner Newkirk ran 8:58.88 this morning, the 2nd fastest 3200m in state history. The only person to ever run faster was Washington County’s Dylan Hodgson, when he ran 8:56.34 in 2015. It was also a 4A state meet record, and the fastest ever ran at the state meet, all classes.
I understand the concern regarding liability issues, the packed starts and finishes but if you can’t social distance at an XC meet you can’t social distance anywhere.
Honesty, are we surprised? Hayden senior Tanner Newkirk broke his second meet record this weekend, winning the 4A 1600m in 4:12.25, taking down the record of 4:16.34! His final race of the weekend will be the 800m later this afternoon!
Years ago when my son started running XC and T&F I knew that the XCT&F community was special. No doubt you will continue to rally around the Davidson family. Prayers out especially to the Davidson's as well as the XCT&F community.
Chesney Peterson, a ten-time state champion and one of the greatest distance runners in Kansas history, has committed to the University of Tennessee! Congratulations
@ChesneyPeterson
!
State Record: Take 3🎬
Last night at the Shawnee Mission North Relays, the ladies of Olathe West SHATTERED their own state record in the 4x800m, running 9:03.42, the eighth fastest time in the country this season! The quartet of Kate Miller, Bree Newport, Paige Baker and Charis
Wichita-Trinity junior Clay Shively became the second fastest Kansas high school miler in history after winning his heat at the Arkansas Invitational this afternoon! Shively now only sits behind the legendary Jim Ryun on the all-time list. He closed in roughly 57.5 to pull away.
Just a business trip to Eugene 🏆🌲
Kansas alumni finished on the national podium in six different events, with some officially punching their ticket to Budapest.
Bryce Hoppel🥇 -- Back-to-back USA 800m Champ
Cordell Tinch🥈 -- Runner-Up 110mH
Janee' Kassanavoid 🥉 -- 3rd Place
At NXN, St. Thomas Aquinas senior Colby King finished 23rd in 15:25. To our knowledge, that is the highest Kansas boy finisher at NXN since 2014. The ladies of Olathe West exceeded expectations again, placing 16th in the field, led by Bree Newport in 18:26.
Here is our current list of Kansas athletes that have committed/signed to compete in track & field/cross country at the next level! If we missed anyone or have the wrong info, please let us know so we can get it right in this week's newsletter! Reach out to us in our DM's!
Back-to-back 🏆🏆
Josh and Jason Parrish help Olathe North defend their 2022 team title, winning four combined individual state titles!
Josh -- 110mH🥇, Long Jump🥇, Triple Jump🥇, 300mH🥈
Jason -- 110mH🥈, 300mH🥇, 4x100m🥈, 4x400m🥇
The brothers helped propel a stacked
Earlier today, the KSHSAA Executive Board announced they were making adjustments to the state qualifying procedure.
Over the last few years, athletes, parents and coaches have had issues with the previous system, and both Kyle
@Kyle_Doperalski
and
@KSHSAA
have been listening.
Make that 11 tickets to Portland!✈️🌲
Was this the greatest showing at NXR Heartland in state history? Three qualifiers and a team are heading to Portland for NXN!
🥈Katelyn Rupe — 2nd/17:07.6
🏅Anjali Hocker Singh — 5th/17:21.9
🏅Clay Shively — 5th/14:39.8
🥈Olathe West —
I stumbled across this again. I'm reminded that XC is a sport that requires so much of the mind, the body and the human spirit. For the thousands+ of you who DON'T QUIT week in and week out, please remind yourself that you are amazing.
Salina Central Junior Katelyn Rupe won her third straight 5A 3200m state title in 10:18.09, breaking the 5A meet record of 10:34.2 set by Salina South’s Alyson Deckert in 1983.
Ryin Miller (Topeka-Seaman) and Kaylie Shultz (Salina Central) were 2nd and 3rd in 10:34.48 and
Anyone from Kansas watching the NCAA DI Womens Championships experienced some "Deja vu" when former
@GirardTrojans
Cailie Logue
@CycloneTrackXC
and former
@smnwxc
Molly Born
@run4okstate
finished in 15th and 16th Place. Both earned All-American honors. Congratulations!!!
Congratulations to Kateyln Rupe on a 2nd place finish 17.07.6 and Anjali Hocker Singh 17:21.9 for her 5th place finish at the Nike Heartland Regional Girls Championship Race. Both will Advance to Nationals!
I know I’m blowing you up with RT’s but I just can’t seem to stop myself. Families, friends and fans need to know and enjoy while the athletes and coaches have been preparing for these very moments for months and even years. Off to the next RT. This is too much fun!!🔄
Katelyn Rupe, one of the fastest runners in state history is taking her talents to Chapel Hill, NC in the fall of 2025! The Salina Central junior is set to join a very talented distance program led by Chris Miltenberg!
📸
@katelyn_rupe
Olathe Twilight ⚾️
In one of the most competitive meets of the regular season, athletes from all over the state and some out-of-state competition clocked blazing times to end the weekend.
Girls Ind. 🥇 -- Anjali Hocker Singh
Girls Team 🏆 --
@owlxc
Boys Ind. 🥇 -- Clay
XC Preseason Preview: 6A
Top Girls Returner: Anjali Hocker-Singh
Top Boys Returner: Micah Blomker
Top Girls Team:
@owlxc
🦉
Top Boys Team:
@OSXCFalcons
🦅
The reigning champ defended his title! SE of Saline senior Dylan Sprecker won the 3A 1600m over Wichita Trinity’s Clay Shively. Sprecker broke the meet record of 4:16.10, running 4:14.88, for his 5th state title of his career!
It was a VERY busy weekend for seven Olathe West athletes, as they took on four relays at Nike Outdoor Nationals. Not to mention, they ran incredibly well. The 4x800m broke their own state record, along with every relay placing in the top five! Hats off to these ladies!
Through five weeks of competition, 113 different athletes have won a varsity race. However, just 10 girls and 5 boys have won more than two races this season.
There are 5 girls and 16 boys that have each won a pair of races, and 40 girls and 37 boys have won one race.
Add it to the trophy case! 🏆🐊
Following her historic sophomore track season,
@ryinmiller
was named the 2024 Gatorade Kansas Player of the Year for the recent track & field season.
This is the third-straight year a distance athlete has won the award.
- 5A 1600m State Champ🥇
Clay Shively tops the Roy Griak field! 🔥
Trinity Academy senior Clay Shively won the 2023 Roy Griak Invitational in 15:23.9, becoming the first Kansan to ever win an individual championship race title!
Shively moved up from 18th to 8th after the first mile, then surpassed the
Tonight is a night when fair weather fans unfollow me due to my RT's. :) I understand, but these kids have been working hard to get to tomorrow so it's a big deal.
#kansasrunning
What. A. Race.
On Friday, one of the fastest 3200m races in state history saw record after record go down as six of the state’s top distance stars etched their names on multiple all-time lists.
Safe to say the future of Kansas girls distance running is in good hands. 🤝
DI-DII-NAIA-NJCAA
Who’s the best collegiate track and field athlete in Kansas right now? Here is the first edition of the Garmin Indoor T&F Leaderboard: College Edition! The men’s rankings drop tomorrow!
⚠️ATTENTION⚠️We are trying to compile a database of ALL Kansas high school graduates who are currently competing at the collegiate level. If you have a second, we’d greatly appreciate you letting us know with a DM so we can correctly cover as many athletes as possible!
Just a junior, Clay Shively, one of the fastest athletes in state history is joining the three-time defending national champion Lumberjacks🪓 in Flagstaff, AZ next year!
#RaiseTheFlag
The place to be on November 2, 2019.
@KSHSAA
Cross Country State Championships. 73 Days and counting.
Rim Rock Farm: Classes 6A, 5A and 3A
Wamego Country Club: Classes 4A, 2A and 1A
This team has been incredibly consistent all year. The
@owlxc
girls team finishes in a solid 2nd place to advance to Nationals. Congratulations!
#kansasrunning
110 Days until
@KSHSAA
XC State Championships
Saturday Oct. 27th 2018
Classes 6A, 5A and 3A will be at Rim Rock Farm - Lawrence Ks.
10:00 am - 5A Boys
10:35 am - 3A Girls
11:10 am - 6A Boys
11:45 am - 5A Girls
12:20 pm - 3A Boys
12:55 pm - 6A Girls
This morning, Paige Mullen (10:39.99), Olivia Bakker (10:40.63), and Grace Meyer (10:43.38) all ran the top three times in the state this season. It was a sprint to the finish as the trio closed in 68, 69 and 71 for their final lap. The three also set HUGE PR’s this morning!
There are some middle school XC kids who finished in the middle of the pack today. No notoriety, no expectations but completed an endeavor that was not easy and took guts just to finish. Some of these very same kids will be on the podium at Rim Rock and Wamego CC very soon.
The 8 time State Champion from
@smnwxc
Molly Born now running for
@run4okstate
finished 8th at last weeks XC Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana. Born earned her first career Big 12 Runner of the Week honor for her performance.
Photo Courtesy of OSU Athletics
Ashley Lehman, the 2024 3A state champion in the 100m, 200m and 400, finished runner-up in the Girls 15-16 year-old division at the AAU Junior Olympics, running 2:09.93.
This is the fastest time in the state this outdoor season, and the fastest by a Kansan since 2004.
She now
With the start of the cross country season finally arriving on Monday, we were officially 75 (71 now) days away from the state championships at Rim Rock Farm (3A, 5A, 6A) and the Wamego Country Club (1A, 2A, 4A).
Five athletes are set to defend their titles from a year ago,
Enjoyed some great racing at Rim Rock today. 12 Races beginning Friday evening and over 2330 athletes battled a tough slippery Rim Rock course. This is XC at its finest.
2021
@KSHSAA
State Track and Field Meet Schedule. May 27th -29th 2021
Thursday May 27th - Class 5A and 6A
Friday May 28th - Class 3A and 4A
Saturday May 29th - Class 1A and 2A
Just one day into the US Olympic Trials 🇺🇸, nearly ten Kansas athletes are heading on to the next round in their respective event.
Here are in the in-state alumni who punched their ticket! 🎟️
Brett Thompson — Erie HS & Pittsburg State
Brett Meyer — Scott City HS & Fort Hays
Huge XC day around the state. Every year is a long journey but the 2020 pandemic has made it more difficult for athletes, coaches, parents and fans. Everyone in this process is important and special. Enjoy XC today. Good luck and thanks to all of you for the vital roles you play.
What a fun day. Must have been a thrill to medal in front of this crowd. The kids put on a heck of a show. Thanks to
@GoShockers
@KSHSAA
@WichitaState
and all of the volunteers, coaches, parents, bus drivers etc. who made this happen. Let's do it again next year!
The 2022 edition of Nike Outdoor Nationals starts this Thursday and goes until Sunday! Athletes from across the country will have the chance to compete at one of the most beautiful venues in the world. Here’s a rundown of the Kansas athletes competing based off of the entry list!
After the first full weekend of High School XC
@DESOTOXC
@Carson_Sturdy
put up the fastest time in the State with a 16:04.40 at the Greg Wilson Classic. 9 of the top 10 times in the state were from the Greg Wilson Classic.
A couple more photos of our Kansas athletes from Kenosha WI at the Eastbay XC Championships. Great job of representing Kansas. Thanks
@SpreckerJessica
for the photos.
Cordell Tinch is climbing his way up the record books! 🪜
The Pittsburg State superstar ran the second fastest all-conditions mark in COLLEGIATE HISTORY as he won the 110mH in 12.97 (+3.0) the MIAA Conference Championships!
🎥
@GorillasTrack
The XC season is winding down. Over for most. I feel an emptiness like I lost a dear friend. Thankful for the collegiate Indoor season. Wish High School had it. I'm aware that it would be a challenge but it can be done.
#bringonindoor
#kansasrunning
St. Thomas Aquinas junior Joey Goodenow won the 5A discus title with a throw of 177-10. This marks the first state title in his career.
Jarrett Schmidt (Newton) and Alexander Dawkins (Shawnee Heights) were 2nd and 3rd, with throws of 170-8 and 164-9.
📸
@STAsaints_TF_XC
After etching her name into the high school record books while at Lawrence Free State, Emily. Venters outdid herself on Friday, running 31:38.35, the sixth fastest time in NCAA history. It was also a seventy-nine second PR for Venters, as well as Utah and Pac-12 records.
📸
My son is disappointed as his spring season is over before it started. I gave him this advice. “Work on building your body into an XC machine and have your greatest XC season ever. Don’t let this setback be anything other than a leap into greatness. You have the ability.”
Trinity Academy's Clay Shively took on the field at the 2024 HOKA Festival of Miles, finishing second in a new personal best time of 4:00.02.
Shively's runner-up finish is the highest ever by a Kansas boy at the Festival of Miles, and is one of the 25 fastest boys in high school
After Wyatt Haughton and Micah Blomker had a chokehold on the 6A landscape over the past few years, the torch is being passed to a new star.
Max Larson, who finished 5th last October is the fastest man heading into the fall, as six other sub-16 guys are trying to chase him down.
Olathe Northwest multi-sport star Val Galligan won the 6A shot put this morning, with a winning mark of 42.-11.25.
Galligan has totaled four state title in the throws up to this point.
Addie Cline (Olathe West) and Kendall Yarnell (Olathe Northwest) finished 2nd and 3rd with
✅Undefeated XC Season
✅ Back-to-Back State Champs
✅18:27.63 5k Average (1-5)
✅4x800m State Record (twice)
✅ 5th at Nike Outdoor Nationals
Read our interview with
@owlxc
Head Coach
@KCarbajo
in our newsletter!
Clay Shively from Wichita Trinity clocks a 14:39.8 to secure the 5th place slot in the boys Championship Race and will advance to Nike Nationals in Portland OR. Congratulations Clay!
XC Preseason Preview: 4A 🏃♀️🏃♂️
Top Girls Returner:
@hayleytrotter6
Top Boys Returner: Eli Gilmore
Top Girls Team: Eudora
Top Boys Team: Buhler
📸: Girls — Alex Walters (5)
📸: Boys — Alex Gaines (3) Alex Walters (4) Stephanie Peterson-Fulmer (5)
Wyatt is taking his talents to Provo!🏔️
The three-time state champ and cross country state record holder signed his letter of intent to join the Cougar program at Brigham Young this fall!
#GoCougs
🚨 Middle school sprint phenom and current Rock Creek freshman Aria Pearce announced yesterday via her Instagram that she will not compete for Rock Creek during this outdoor season.
Pearce, who has taken the state and country by storm is already the fastest in state history in