KSHSAA COVERED ELLINWOOD — Ellinwood 2A state cross country qualifier Ryan Pohlman earned the weekly KSHSAA Western Kansas Male Athlete of the Year. HIS PERFORMANCE — Pohlman is peaking at the perfect time as he prepares for the final cross country meet of his high school career at Wamego. Pohlman (16:58.5) earned first-place medalist honors at the Belleville 2A cross country substate. His victory continues a strong late-season push that features a career-best time (16:30.1) at the Sterling Invitational. Pohlman finished runner-up finish at the combined Central Prairie League/Southern Plains Iroquois League meet, where he claimed the CPL individual title. COACH’S COMMENT — “Ryan is a great kid – hard-working and humble,” said Ellinwood cross country coach Jeff Zook. “With kids like Ryan, sometimes it takes a little time for their confidence to catch up with their talent. Over the last few weeks, we’ve started to see that happen. "He’s gaining confidence in the outcome, but also in his ability to run a complete race from gun-to-line. He’s learning that he can go after it in the first mile and that his legs will be there for miles two and three. Over the last few weeks, he’s started putting together really complete races. It’s been fun to watch everything come together.” Get Outlook for iOS