Rockhurst boys capture first cross country title
Winning a state title wasn’t unexpected for Rockhurst. The way it happened was, at least for Hawklets coach Mike Dierks.
Rockhurst won its first team championship in cross country Saturday, taking the Class 4 boys title with 109 points, 17 ahead of runner-up Columbia Rock Bridge. The Hawklets’ formula for success, especially toward the end of the season, involved tightening its pack behind No. 1 runner John Luder toward the front of the race.
When the Hawklets got spread over the field early in the 5-kilometer race, Dierks admitted to feeling a little uneasy.
“We really got spread out right away,” Dierks said. “”That was a little bit of surprise. When I saw that I got a little nervous.”
Rockhurst still had Luder near the front, but some of the Hawklets’ regulars were struggling on the hilly route over the Oak Hills Golf Course. Seniors Will Oltjen and Branden Schaff didn’t struggle, and the Hawklets’ usual No. 6 and No. 7 runners moved up to Nos. 4 and 5. Oltjen placed 32nd with a time of 16 minutes, 34.38 seconds and Schaff was 38th in 16:40.20. Both were personal bests.
“We had a couple of kids have off days, and those two seniors stepped up and won it for us,” Dierks said.
Luder placed third overall in 15:41.50, which was also a personal best. Luder battled two familiar faces most of the race: Blue Springs’ Victor Mugeche, who finished second, and Kearney’s Clayton Adams, who placed fourth. None of them could catch Austin Hindman of Wildwood Lafayette, who crossed the finish line in a state-record 15:22.30.
Adams had about a 20-yard lead on Luder late in the race before Luder charged to the finish. He couldn’t quite close the gap on Mugeche, who finished three seconds ahead of Luder.
“I was hoping to get Victor but he was way up there,” Luder said.
Lee’s Summit West girls take second
Lee’s Summit West expected to compete for the Class 4 girls title, and the Titans came up just short, falling four points shy of first-place Jackson.
LS West had 138points to Jackson’s 134, and only 12 points separated first from fifth. The Titans were tied for fourth at the three-mile mark and came close to tying for first at one point.
“I did feel like we went out a little bit slow,” Lee’s Summit West girls coach Jesse Griffin said. “We had to maneuver and work through the crowd a little bit. But they were doing really well at the end.”
Senior Alex Marko led LS West, but three of the Titans’ five runners were underclassmen, including two freshmen, which Griffin said was a good sign for the future.
“It’s a learning process, and I think next year we can come back a little more educated about what needs to happen for us to be state champions,” Griffin said. “But I’m still pretty proud of the effort and being the top Kansas City team.”
Second for Finley
Blue Springs South junior Tori Finley had been pretty much been unbeatable all season. But in the Class 4 girls final, Finley met her match and she knew it.
Finley finished second to Mikayla Reed of Washington, who won in 18:02.26. Finley ran with Reed for the first two miles, but Reed started pulling away at the third mile and Finley couldn’t answer.
“My plan was just to go out and see who would stick with me, and Mikayla ran a great race,” said Finley, who finished in 18:27.62. “I was feeling good, but she was the better runner today. I think she deserves it.”
Other notables
▪ Jesse Schultz of Lutheran finished fourth in the boys race and led the Knights to a second-place finish in Class 1. Lutheran’s Aaron Boatman placed eighth and also medaled. Lutheran’s girls were fourth in Class 1, with medalist Joelle Hick placing 18th.
▪ Miranda Dick finished 15th and Makenzie Stucker was 18th in leading Raymore-Peculiar to a seventh-place finish in Class 4 girls.
▪ Pleasant Hill took fifth place in Class 3 boys.
▪ Mira Bannwarth of Smithville medaled in Class 3 girls with a 24th-place finish.
This story was originally published November 5, 2016 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Rockhurst boys capture first cross country title."