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Great Bend's Ramirez, Panthers earn WAC title
mayra ramirez

VICTORIA – Mayra Ramirez stayed unbeaten to spark five top 10 medalists as Great Bend’s girls captured the Western Athletic Conference cross country championship for the first time since 2010. Great Bend (31) beat Dodge City (51) by 20 points at the Sand Plum Nature Trail course.

Ramirez (15:19.4) earned WAC Runner of the Year and Great Bend coach Lyles Lashley was named WAC Girls Coach of the Year.

Third-place Emilia Diaz (15:47.9), eighth-place McKenna Esfeld (16:31.5), ninth-place Emma Loomis (16:32.4) and 10th-place Haley McCormick (16:34.8) earned top 10 medals.

The Great Bend boys lost a heartbreaker for first place with champion Garden City (41) edging Great Bend (43) and Dodge City (44). Garden City’s Ethan Fisher (16:34.6) was medalist.

Garden City gained nine points when the Buffaloes’ fifth-place runner Evan Gurrola (17:55.8) finished 13th and Great Bend’s Matthew Huslig (18:29.5) placed 22nd.  

Great Bend earned four top 10 medals -- third-place Kaiden Esfeld, 16:46.2; fourth-place Sage Cauley, 16:56.3; seventh-place Alex Smith, 17:11.4; and eighth-place Evan Hammond, 17:19.9.

WAC MEET

GIRLS TEAM SCORES—1—Great Bend 31; 2—Dodge City 51; 3—Hays High 63; 4—Garden City 101; 5—Liberal 122

TOP 10 MEDALISTS—1—Mayra Ramirez, GB, 15:19.4; 2—Jocelyn Sosa, GC, 15:42.3; 3--Emilia Diaz, GB, 15:47.9; 4—Serenity Larson, DC, 16:02.6; 5—Amelia Jaeger, Hays, 16:21.2; 6—Hallie West, Liberal, 16:30.1; 7—Norma Rodriguez, DC, 16:30.2; 8-- McKenna Esfeld, 16:31.5; 9-- Emma Loomis, GB, 16:32.4; 10--Haley McCormick (16:34.8).

GREAT BEND—266—Emma Loomis, 17:33.9; 30—August Siefkes, 17:52.6

BOYS TEAM SCORES—1—Garden City 41; 2—Great Bend 43; 3—Dodge City 44; 4—Liberal 109; 5—Hays High 122

TOP 10 MEDALISTS—1—Ethan Fisher, GC, 16:34.6; 2—Giovanni Valverde, DC, 16:40.9; 3—Kaiden Esfeld, GB, 16:46.2; 4—Sage Cauley, GB, 16:56.3; 5—Angel Landeros, DC, 16:58.7; 6—Santiago Nunez, GC, 17:10.6;  7—Alex Smith, GB, 17:11.4; 8—Evan Hammond, GB, 17:19.9; 9—Martin Marquez, DC, 17:31.0; 10—Brody Hoff, GC, 17:34.6

GREAT BEND—22—Matthew Huslig, 18:29.5; 37—Ellis Long, 22:01.9

GIRLS JV TEAM SCORES—1—Dodge City 28; 2—Garden City 34; 3—Hays High 68

TOP 5 MEDALISTS—1—Kalarikkal, GC, 16:47.6; 2—Lopez, DC, 19:11.8; 3—Blatnick, DC, 19:17.8; 4—Avila, DC, 19:24.1; 5—Dickman, Hays, 19:30.7

GREAT BEND—10—Amy To, 19:59.1; 18—Katria Kindscher, 21:09.6; 23—Amy Campbell, 21:26.8

BOYS JV TEAM SCORES—1—Garden City 29; 2—Dodge City 34; 3—Liberal 82; 4—Hays High 102

TOP 5 MEDALISTS—1—Parga, DC, 18:48.8; 2—Contreas, GC, 19:00.4; 3—Rodriguez, DC, 19:10.1; 4—Garcia, GC, 19:19.0; 5—Guevara, DC, 19:19.5