ST. LOUIS – Courtney Rogers stormed out to a huge lead in the White Division of the Forest Park Cross Country Festival, and she kept rolling all the way to the finish.
Rogers, a senior at Lutheran-St. Charles, was not challenged over the second half of the race and came home in 18:47.40.
“My goal was to break 20 and if I was feeling really good to try for an 18:40. But then I forgot to start my watch so I didn’t know where I was at,” Rogers said. “The first mile seemed so easy and all I wanted to do was go. My coach was still yelling at me to stay back. He told me we ran a 5:55 first mile, but it seemed a lot slower than that. So the second mile I took off because I felt good. That last three-quarters of a mile was really bad. It was hard.”
Rogers burst on the scene as a freshman when she won the Class 2 state title in front of sophomores Kaitlyn Fischer of Herculaneum and Saga Barzowski of Arcadia Valley. Fischer and Barzowski would go on to win the last two state titles, with Rogers finishing third both years. The trio has been a staple of the Class 2 distance scene for three years, and now Rogers is the only one remaining.
“It’s really strange not having Kaitlyn and Saga there, especially Kaitlyn because I’m always with Kaitlyn. It’s always been an accepted fact that I’ll stick behind her and then just go as long as I can with her,” Rogers said. “And this year I don’t have that, and it’s really weird. I kind of miss it.”
While Rogers is adjusting to life as the only former state champion left in her class, she’s not naïve enough to believe that there aren’t other girls working to get better and edge her out. She’s not going to take anything for granted.
“I know there’s a really good chance that someone from previous years get a lot better or even a freshman – that’s what happened my freshman year for them,” Rogers said. “So I’m kind of expecting it. But I’m getting better too.”
The Forest Park race sets a new official PR for Rogers, as her previous best came on a short course. The fast time this early in the season has her excited about chasing down another goal she set for her senior year – finally overtake Amber Warren’s school records, including the 18:13 cross country mark.
“It’s definitely a confidence booster knowing I’m already under 19,” Rogers said. “Somehow I’m still behind Amber Warren in every event that I do, and that’s my goal this year is to wipe her off the board if I can. It makes that goal seem a little more doable.”
