By MIKE COURSON
Special to the Tribune
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — The Kansas high school cross country season ended Oct. 30, but a handful of Great Bend runners had one more finish line to cross 500 miles away.
More than 3,000 high school runners from seven states gathered in Sioux Falls, S.D. Sunday to compete in the Nike Cross Country Heartland Regional.
Great Bend High School cross country coach Lyles Lashley began taking athletes to the meet in 2014 at Ellinwood. Runners from Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas compete.
“Especially for the young kids, it’s good to take them there to see who the best of the best of the seven states are,” Lashley said. “Wisconsin and Minnesota run some pretty good cross country.”
Seven races featured the top 22 regional teams and the top 45 individual runners from seven states.
The top-three finishers from the Kansas 5A state meet ran in the championship division. Great Bend’s Kaiden Esfeld finished 38th (15:48.7), six seconds from a top-30 finish.
“Competing at this high level felt like an honor,” Esfeld said. “To be with the top runners from all sorts of states and be able to be in the fastest race was something to be proud of. The pressure between state and NXR was very close. At state I was focusing on my placing. At NXR I was focusing on a new PR.”
Aquinas 5A state champion Logan Seger placed third (15:10.1). Omaha’s Gabe Hinrichs won the gold (15:00).
Great Bend’s Emilia Diaz was the lead runner for the Lady Panther team that finished third at state. She placed 138th overall (19:55.5), 17 seconds off her 5A state time.
“It was quite a race with high-level runners,” she said. “It was tough, but fun.”
Minnesota’s Ali Weimer won the girls race (17:03.3). Olathe North’s 6A state champion Anjali Hocker Singh placed fourth (17:11.5).
Three Panthers competed in the Rising Star race with a wind chill of 18 degrees.
“The cold was definitely a factor because you could barely feel your body,” said Eliana Beckham. “Some people were used to that cold and others weren’t.”
Addy Nicholson said. “It changed the way your body felt during the race. I couldn’t tell how my body was feeling during the race and what pace I was going. It was hard to know how I was doing.”
Beckham, the fourth scorer on the Panthers state team, placed 39th (21:06.8). Nicholson (21:09.5) ran 40th. Minnesota’s Amelia Borgen (18:54.7) won the race.
Great Bend’s Reese King placed 14th at regionals, but didn’t finish her 5A state race because of a medical condition. She finished 52nd (21:25.6).
“It was pretty neat running with the top runners from seven states,” King said. “The cold definitely slowed me down because I’m not used to it.”
The Great Bend runners would’ve preferred more than the two small hills.
“I liked the course a lot and it was very nicely marked with even ground,” Beckham said. “I wish there were some bigger hills since that’s where I can usually catch people.”
Nicholson said, “The course was different. We’re used to hills and turns everywhere. It was a nice change of scenery.”
The Great Bend runners can turn their attention to the spring track season. Esfeld medaled in both distance events and will challenge the Aquinas runners.
“I’m seeing things I will need to work on,” he said. “I can tell my finish has gotten stronger and is only getting better. Some great things will happen this track season.”
Beckham ran with the Panthers 3,200-meter and 1,600-meter relay teams that placed 10th at state. She placed 11th in the 800 meters. Diaz ran in both distance events at state last year. Nicholson ran the 3200.
“I’m excited for both teams and myself for the upcoming season,” Beckham said. “Our teams will have successful seasons and become stronger than last year. We need to keep putting in the extra work and have our hearts in it.”
