Runners took to Clapp Park in Wichita last Saturday morning for their Regionals meet. Continuing their dominant season, Manhattan girls cross country delivered another strong first place win scoring 19 points, coming out as Regionals champions, while the boys tied for first place with 62 points. With Regionals wrapped up, the girls and boys are State-bound for their final showdown this weekend.
“Basically, we just need to go out and take care of business,” coach Susan Melgares said. “The game is the same, gun goes off and runs as fast as you can to the finish.”
The girls cross country team has had a “perfect” season, collecting first place finishes at every meet this season. The girls snatched places first through seventh at Regionals, with the exception of fifth. Leading the way in Regionals was junior Gabby Converse in first place, running a swift 19:14; close behind her was freshman Zara Koehn in second place, clocking a 19:35; and freshman Isla Spreer was in third place, with a time of 19:45.
“There are expectations [from] our coaches,” sixth place finisher sophomore Andie Strathman said, “…and [there was an expectation from] myself and everyone else, was that we were supposed to win first place. We did the best that we could. We were aiming for a perfect score, but that one person got in the way.”
Stakes are high for the girls, as they will take their marks at the State Championship on Nov. 1, where they’re projected to place first.
Pressure is quickly building for all parties as the end is just in view.
“I think I’ve definitely gotten better at dealing with the pressure over the season,” Koehn said. “At the beginning, I was always really nervous before races, but now I’m more unaffected.”
On a Varsity squad that features underclassmen in the majority, connections weren’t initially established, but an inherent synergy has formed over time.
“They’re like my sisters,” Strathman said. “They make me want to go to practice. They make me want to be here every day, and just as a team, we’ve grown.. and we’ve gotten closer because of the challenges we face, the hard workouts, the hard days and the hard meets… just being with each other helps out a lot.”
The Centennial League meet took place on Oct. 18 at Emporia. Varsity girls finished in first place at 15 points and the Varsity boys finished in third place with a score of 49.
This season has been historic for MHS cross country, each win from these eight weeks setting up more anticipation for this last meet.
“It’s going to be bittersweet,” Melgares said. “I’m excited for the State meet, but I’m also going to have some sadness, but also excitement as the kids move on to their next chapter… I’m going to miss this season.”
The final meet will be the State Championship on Saturday at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence.
