Three area runners earned all-state honors at the MSHSAA cross country championships Saturday at Oak Hills Golf Center in Jefferson City.
The top 25 finishers in each of the eight races secured all-state medals.
Additionally, the top four teams from each race claimed a state trophy.
Running to all-state honors from the area were New Haven junior Seth Schenck in the Class 1 boys race and Owensville sophomore Hannah Baehr and St. Clair junior Lyndsay Hardin in the Class 3 girls race.
Class 4 Girls
The lone area Class 4 runner at the state meet was Washington freshman Josie Plowman.
In her first state experience, Plowman finished in 112th place in a time of 21:15.
“Josie ran her second-fastest time of the year on the hardest course of the year,” said Washington Coach Mike Olszowka. “When you get a freshman to the state meet, you try to make it a learning experience.”
Eureka sophomore Hannah Long cruised to a first-place finish in 18:06.
Francis Howell captured the Class 4 girls team title with 81 points.
Eureka finished second with 103 followed by St. Teresa’s Academy with 116 and Lee’s Summit West with 129.
Class 4 Boys
Blue Springs’ Simon Belete flew to the win in 15:48.
St. Louis University High won the Class 4 boys team crown with 98 points.
Blue Springs was second with 98 followed by Lafayette with 143 and West Plains with 188.
Class 3 Girls
Baehr finished the race in 23rd place in a time of 20:24. It was her second state medal in as many years after placing 15th in 20:16 last year as a freshman.
Making her third appearance at the state meet, Hardin won her first state medal by finishing 25th in 20:30.
“I’m psyched. I took off a little faster than I probably should have,” Hardin said after the race. “Around the two-mile mark, I kind of zoned out. In the last mile, I just did my best.”
Hardin grabbed the final all-state spot by one second.
“I was ecstatic when Lyndsay came across the line,” said St. Clair Coach Ben Martin. “This is something we’ve wanted for her since her freshman year.”
Pacific junior Ashley Brinker finished in 42nd place in 21:02.
“Ashley ran a smart race,” said Pacific Coach Justin Perriguey. “She improved her position throughout the race.”
St. James freshman Leslie Perona placed 59th in 21:20.
Owensville freshman Shaylyn Uzzle was 64th in 21:27.
Running for Warrenton were junior Sam Swoboda (77th in 21:44), sophomore Madeline Carlson (96th in 21:59) and senior Melora Broker (136th in 23:15).
Ste. Genevieve freshman Taylor Werner won the race in 18:19.
Winning the Class 3 girls state crown was Ste. Genevieve with 42 points.
Festus finished second with 100 followed by Smithville with 110 and Villa Duchesne with 135.
Class 3 Boys
St. Clair senior Austin Gotway placed 34th in 17:32.
“Austin ran 20 seconds faster than he did last year. He is disappointed because last year he was 31st and this year 34th, even though he ran faster,” Martin said. “He ran hard the whole way and did well. I’m proud of him. He’s a three-time state qualifier.”
Sullivan junior Randy Swaller placed 69th in 18:13.
Sullivan junior Chris Erxleben was 71st in 18:15.
St. James sophomore Alex Auxier placed 73rd in 18:17.
Pacific sophomore Jeremy Hill ended 79th in 18:22.
“Jeremy had a good showing for his first trip to Jefferson City,” Perriguey said. “He placed in the top half.”
Owensville sophomore Blaine McKinney placed 82nd in 18:23.
Warrenton senior Cloud Wharton finished 137th in 19:33.
St. Clair junior Tyler Hinson was 151st in 19:56.
“This was Tyler’s first time to state,” Martin said. “He got the flu the night before and was very sick. I’m just impressed he wanted to still run Saturday morning.”
MICDS senior Amos Bartelsmeyer won the race in 16:24.
Festus claimed the Class 3 boys title with 58 points.
Warrensburg finished second with 65 followed by Liberty North with 133 and MICDS with 150.
Class 2 Girls
Wright City senior Kaitlin Karney finished 27th in 21:21.
Cuba senior Yolanda Lightbown was 66th in 22:30.
Herculaneum senior Kaitlyn Fischer won the race in 18:40.
Herculaneum claimed the Class 2 girls team crown with 89 points.
Arcadia Valley finished second with 130 followed by Lutheran St. Charles with 135 and Stockton with 139.
Class 2 Boys
Hermann freshman Grant Uthlaut finished 46th in 18:25.
Wright City placed 13th in the team standings.
Running for Wright City were juniors Ben Randolph (59th in 18:32), Brendan Gierer (109th in 19:25), Austin Harsh (113th in 19:31), Cody Klemp (120th in 19:41), Zac Murri (127th in 19:49) and Jackson Bruening (137th in 20:01).
Barstow senior Deko Ricketts won the race in 17:02.
Lamar claimed the Class 2 boys team title with 69 points.
Herculaneum finished second with 108 followed by Fatima with 109 and Ava with 132.
Class 1 Girls
New Haven junior Fey Chavez finished 33rd in 23:03.
New Haven freshman Clare Roth was 67th in 24:10.
Plato sophomore Lexi McNiel won the race in 20:27.
Salisbury took the Class 1 girls team title with 54 points.
Russellville placed second with 99 followed by Plato with 110 and Elsberry with 123.
Class 1 Boys
New Haven’s Schenck had the area’s best finish, placing 15th in 17:55 for his second career all-state medal in three appearances.
“Last year, Seth had a lackluster performance at state, finishing 29th in comparison to his 14th-place finish his freshman year. This year, we have been working on a strategy to get him back into the top 25,” said New Haven Coach John Tucker. “He did an excellent job of racing within his means for the first mile and then began to move up. His sophomore year, he ran the first mile too fast and didn’t have the stamina to finish in the top 25. I was very pleased with his finish and effort this year.”
Also running for the Shamrocks were sophomore Dominick Pataky (42nd in 18:41) and junior Zach Grater (81st in 19:20).
Linn senior Tyler Rush won the race in 16:33.
West Platte claimed the Class 1 boys title with 87 points.
Linn placed second with 101 followed by Sparta with 115 and Valle Catholic with 128.
