Koester Wins Another 5K; Juedemann sub-19 at Parkway West
The Parkway West Invitational provided fast times this weekend just as many other courses did across the Midwest. A course not typically known for producing amazing performances, the Living Word Christian Church did not disappoint this year (not to say it has disappointed in past years). On the girls side, it appeared that Lafayette senior Mollie Rogan was ready to grab her first win of the season, but she was overtaken after leading the first mile and a half and fell back to 6th. The winner on Saturday was Lindbergh junior Abigail Juedemann, whose impressive junior campaign keeps on getting better. Juedemann found herself in the 18s for the first time in her career as her 18:53 was not only a personal record, but also a school record and was good enough to secure the 28 second victory over Parkway West phenom Chloe Hershenow. Hershenow is a sub-19:00 caliber athlete in her own right, but it appears that Juedemann is hitting her stride. West's Emily Dickson was 3rd in 19:27 and Claire Smout took 4th in 19:42. Francis Howell North sophomore Paige Hercules finished 5th in 20:00. Parkway West girls took 6 of the top 9 spots and appear to be hitting their stride, as well. They scored 24 to take down district rival Kirkwood and sectional foe Lindbergh fairly easily.
Unranked and (foolishily) unwatched heading into the season, Kevin Koester of Hillsboro has vaulted himself into a precarious position among the Class 4 elites. He has torn through many of the best runners on the eastern side of the state across all classes and is beginning to look like an attractive pick for a top 5 finish at the state meet this season. He has ran six 5Ks this season now and has won all six, including a victory at his home meet on Tuesday. His 16:02 was, in fact, his 3rd fastest posting of the season and put him ahead of such names as Matyas Csiki-fejer and Andrew Lofgren of Parkway West, Harrison Brown and Nassim Oufattole of Lafayette, and Christian Baker from Kirkwood.
After taking third at Rim Rock, Parkway West bounced back with a strong victory over some district and sectional foes. Once again using a strong pack, the Longhorns averaged 16:24 on the day and their 1-5 sat only 32 seconds away from each other. They now have freshman Thomas Andersen joining the fray, too, as he posted a 17:00 to be their #7 on the day. They finished with 38 points, 32 ahead of Lafayette, 44 ahead of Kirkwood, and 70 ahead of 4th place St. Louis University High. We spoke with their top 3 after their big win.