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Cross country mixes experienced, new athletes

Eagles hope to thrive with increased members

Sept. 19, 2014

Article by Kelsey Priddy and News Package by Anastasia Graves (below article)

The cross country team started off their season with a tough meet hosted by Burlington Jr/Sr High School on Sept. 4. They were off to a competitive start and had many runners medal. Senior Lauren Simone medaled in the JV race, placing ninth. The varsity boys had four medalists including Junior Jacob Gerber, third; Senior Matt Wagner, ninth; Senior Brock Simone, 11th; and Sophomore Jadon Taylor, 20th. Overall the boys team lost a tie for second with Burlington, placing third.

The varsity girls had five runners medal. According to Kevin Brokaw, head coach, Senior Kaitlyn Shoemaker led the race from the beginning and never looked back. He said she was in control from the beginning, finishing with a time of 17:17 and earning a first-place medal.

The four other runners who medaled were Sophomore Anastasia Graves, eighth; Freshman Jade Mountain, ninth; Sophomore Kayla Lane, 11th; and Sophomore Summer Root, 15th. The girls team placed second with 44 points, behind West Franklin with 42.

The junior high cross country team competed at Burlington (see results below) and also had a meet at Wamego shortly after the first high school meet. They finished fourth out of 11 teams at Wamego. All of the schools competing were considerably larger than Silver Lake. Brokaw said every runner ran better times than the previous week.

Grace North finished first in the seventh-grade girls' race at both the Burlington and Wamego meets with times of 6:51 and 6:24.79.

Brokaw said the cross country team has added new faces to its team this year and also has some returning runners.

He shared why he thinks cross country could be a good activity for many different people.

“There are numerous reasons that athletes should go out for cross country. It depends on the athlete. For those that participate in track, it is a great way to get additional running training and competition. It is always a great way to get and stay in shape. I also think that for most everyone that would join the cross country team, they would enjoy the comradery of their teammates,” he explained.

Junior Mariah Cook, a familiar face in the cross country family, explained why she decided to return this year.

“I decided to run cross country this year because I love to run. And throughout the past years, the team has turned into a second family, making it very appealing to come back,” she said.

Senior Michael Marsh described what he is most looking forward to this season.

“I am looking forward to running our best and hopefully returning to the state race like last year,” Marsh said.

Brokaw explained the strengths of this team.

“The strength of this team starts with those that have competed in previous seasons. They know what to expect and what it takes to be successful. The girls team also has the benefit of added depth, which definitely helps strengthen the team,” he said.

On Thursday, the varsity team competed at McLouth. There were 16 schools in attendance, and Brokaw said most runners ran personal bests for the season.

He said three varsity girls and three varsity boys medaled: Shoemaker, third, 16:45; Mountain, eighth, 17:19; Graves, 13th, 17:43; Gerber, fifth, 17:46; Wagner, 18th, 18:33; and B. Simone, 27th, 19:08.
 
The girls team placed third out of eight full teams behind Christ Prep and KC East Christian.
 
Cook, Marsh, and Brokaw all agree that the Rim Rock meet on Oct. 31 will be their toughest one. Coach Brokaw explained one of the reasons they run this course.

“Most likely, the most difficult meet, overall, will be the Rim Rock Classic. This meet brings in very tough competition from multiple states. The number of runners and teams is much larger than most meets we attend.  The main reason that we will attend this meet is because it is the location for the 3A State cross country meet, and it is nice to be able to have some experience running on the course, earlier in the year,” Brokaw said.

The cross country team has to set goals as a team and as individuals in order to be successful. Sophomore Jadon Taylor shared one of his personal goals.

“I want to medal in most of the cross country meets,” Taylor said.

Cook also has goals that she will keep with her until the very end of the season.

“My goal this year is to be better than I was last year and make it to state,” Cook shared.


 

Burlington Jr/Sr High School Meet Results:

Junior High -

Grace North- 1st

Drew Calderwood- 3rd

 

High School Boys -

Jacob Gerber- 3rd

Matt Wagner- 9th

Brock Simone- 11th

Jadon Taylor- 20th

The boys team lost a tie for second with Burlington and placed third.

 

High School Girls -

Kaitlyn Shoemaker- 1st

Anastasia Graves- 8th

Jade Mountain- 9th

Lauren Simone- 9th (JV)

Kayla Lane- 11th

Summer Root- 15th

The girls team placed second with 44 points, behind West Franklin with 42.

 

Junior High Wamego Meet Results

Grace North - 1st (with a time of 6:24)

The boys placed fourth out of 11 teams.  

 

Team finishes are below.

1.  Susan B. Anthony Middle School

2.  Junction City

3.  Fort Riley

4.  Silver Lake

5.  Seaman

6.  Abilene

7.  Rock Creek

8.  Wamego

9.  Eisenhower Middle School

10.  Clay Center

11.  Mission Valley

 

High School Wamego Meet Results

Jacob Gerber- 11th (with a time of 18:01)  This was a PR for Jacob.

Kaitlyn Shoemaker- 9th (with a time of 16:50.)

Anastasia Graves- 27th (with a time of 17:44.)

Kayla Lane- 33rd (with a time of 17:52.)

 

Team finishes are below.

1. Christ Prep Academy

2. Norton

3. Thomas More Prep

4. Silver Lake


 

Roster

                                                         Michael Marsh 12              Oen Griffin 11                  Halie Bouton 9

                                                         Josey Morgan 12               Jessica Johnson 11       Josh Wilson 10

                                                         Kaitlyn Shoemaker 12       Kenzie Kriss 11              Alex Holder 9

                                                        Brock Simone 12                Dawson Berndt 10        Jade Mountain 9

                                                        Lauren Simone 12             Anastasia Graves 10

                                                        Matt Wagner 12                  Kayla Lane 10

                                                        Mariah Cook 11                  Summer Root 10

                                                       Jacob Gerber 11                 Jadon Taylor 10

 

 

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200 Rice Rd
P.O. Box 39
Silver Lake, Kansas 66539
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