MHS Cross Country breaks record at Missouri Southern Stampede

Sophia Comas, Sports Editor

Manhattan High Cross Country continues to strive for greatness after the Missouri Southern Stampede meet last Saturday where they placed ninth in girls Varsity and 11th in boys Varsity.

The race held excitement for everyone as senior Clara Mayfield broke the school record with a time of 18:25, exceeding the previous time set by Alaina Schroeder in 2013 by just one second.

“Clara has worked extremely hard for four years to get to where she is and it’s awesome to see her miles paying off,” Susan Melgares, head coach, said. “It’s very exciting to see her get this record and very exciting to see her run so well at one of the largest meets in this region.”

The meet featured runners from around 50 different schools across five states and had about 400 girls in the Varsity division in which Mayfield placed second. She was followed by Ella Rosenkranz, junior, and Maddie Purdom, senior.

“The meet was very exciting. It was such a neat experience to run against so many great teams,” Purdom said. “I was so proud of everyone’s efforts [Saturday].”

Both Purdom and Mayfield were absent at the last cross country meet, so having them return with such success was icing on the cake for the season’s progress. While they worked to ensure a good turnout for the meet, they also had to work against certain weather conditions that proved somewhat difficult.

“All of our kids ran tough in some of the most warm and humid conditions we have faced this season,” Melgares said. “They showed a lot of strength by winning several finish line stretch battles and several ran personal best times.”

While this is the cross country team’s third meet of the season, some runners have had more success at meeting their personal goals than others. Despite this, many still put forth every effort to make sure they have a season well-run.

“I was really striving for a personal best myself, and sadly it didn’t happen, and while I wish I could’ve gone even faster during the race, I know I gave it my best effort,” Purdom said. “I also understand that as we continue to work harder we’ll be able to get faster and stronger as a team and as individuals. So, I will keep pushing myself to run faster and get a new personal best.”

As the team works on achieving those goals, they are also practicing hard for their next Junior Varsity meet in Tonganoxie today at 4 p.m. They hope to bring home another victory along with gaining more progress as they run.

“I’m so proud of our team so far and can’t wait to see what we do next,” Purdom said.