GARDEN CITY — Great Bend’s Kerby Depenbusch (17:11.85) captured the Western Athletic Conference cross country title and teammate Connor Griffith (17:33.19) finished runner-up to lead the Panthers to the team title (39) by 10 points over Garden City (49).
Great Bend earned the WAC title for the first time since 2005. Depenbusch earned All-WAC cross country honors four consecutive years for the first time in school history.
Great Bend coach Lyles Lashley was named Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
Panthers Josh Tomlin (18:08.42) placed 10th, Sage Cauley (18:12.52) finished 11th and Ryan Nicholson (18:28.54) placed 15th.
Garden City’s girls (51-17) edged Great Bend (51-36) on the fifth-runner tiebreaker to win the WAC cross country team title.
Great Bend’s Aubrey Snapp (17:08.4) placed runner-up behind champion Katie Hornya (16:38.58) of Liberal. Panthers McKenna Esfeld (17:32.51) placed fourth, Baleigh Fry (18:07.32) finished 10th, Paloma Sandoval (18:18.76) was 12th and LaCora Bryant (19:16.84) placded 23rd.
Garden City’s Georgia Kohlhorst (18:43.67) placed 17th to win the tiebreaker.

WAC BOYS TEAM RESULTS
1—Great Bend, 39 (1-2-10-11-15)
2—Garden City, 49 (5-6-7-14-17)
3—Liberal, 63 (3-8-12-19-21)
4—Dodge City, 64 (4-9-13-16-24)
5—Hays High, 184 (23-33-41-43-44)
WAC 5K BOYS RESULTS—1—Kerby Depenbusch, GB, 17:11.85; 2—Connor Griffith, GB, 17:33.19; 3—Xavier Perez, Liberal, 17:43.66; 4—Xavier Marquez, DC, 17:46.46; 5—Sotero Salazar, GC, 17:58.60; 6—Javier Cervantes, GC, 18:03.79; 7—Kameron Wildeman, GC, 18:05.36; 8—Javier Carillo, Liberal, 18:05.54; 9—Giovanni Valverde, DC, 18:06.34; 10—Josh Tomlin, GB, 18:08.42
GREAT BEND RESULTS—11—Sage Cauley, 18:12.52; 15—Ryan Nicholson, 18:28.54; 20—Collin Hammond, 18:48.04; 26—Alex Smith, 19:36.22; 27—Ray Kuhlman, 19:41.99; 35—Justin Owen, 20:23.22; 36—Matthew Huslig, 20:26.61

WAC GIRLS TEAM RESULTS
1—Garden City, 51 (3-7-11-14-16-17)
2—Great Bend, 51 (2-4-10-12-23-36)
3—Liberal, 62 (1-5-13-21-22)
4—Dodge City, 76 (6-9-15-20-26)
5—Hays High, 137 (8-19-35-37-38)
GIRLS 4K RESULTS—1—Katie Horyna, Liberal, 16:38.58; 2—Aubrey Snapp, GB, 17:08.4; 3—Brooke Navarro, GC, 17:23.85; 4—McKenna Esfeld, GB, 17:32.51; 5—Audrey Gilmore, Liberal, 17:36.1; 6—Ayanna Hensley, DC, 17:37.43; 7—Taylor Savolt, GC, 17:55.3; 8—Yesenia Maldonado, HH, 17:55.42; 9—Luz Lopez, DC, 18:03.63; 10—Baleigh Fry, GB, 18:07.32
GREAT BEND RESULTS—12—Paloma Sandoval, 18:18.76; 23—LaCora Bryant, 19:16.84; 36—Briana Perez, 20:42.11; 42—Chloe Gibson, 23:28.97