First Team
Runner of the Year - Taylor Werner
High expectations were placed upon this young star headed into the year, and every race she didn’t disappoint. From the start of a season with a 16:47 at Forest Park to a slew of 17 something performances on quality courses, her regular season set up for a great postseason. A state record (17:31), qualifying for both national meets for the second straight year, a fifth place finish in possibly the deepest field ever at NXN followed by a top ten finish a week later at Foot Locker, Werner solidified herself as one of the best runners in the nation.
After a seventh place finish at Forest Park, Brown finished within the top four for the remainder of the season. The Parkway West Longhorn finished strong with an impressive third place showing at state.
Until state, Campbell had finished within the top two of every race she ran. A fifth place finish at State and 17th at Nike Regionals solidified a place on the first team.
What a difference a year can make - 12th in Class 3 in 2012, 19th at NXN in 2013. After a great track season and pre-season kickoff the feeling was she was poised for a great cross country season, but this was exceptional. A sub 18 performance at state, second at Nike Regionals, and 19th at Nike Nationals – Kempfer, the future University of Missouri Tiger ended her high school cross country career riding high.
Another year – another great season by Hannah Long. An early meeting with Taylor brought on a tough defeat, but she was able to bounce back a couple weeks later to win one of the best meets in the nation – the Great American XC Festival. She added another State XC title, breaking the course record. While it wasn’t as well of a finish as last year, a 23rd place finish at Foot Locker capped off a strong junior XC campaign.
17:48 for third at Forest Park, Racette opened her season on a strong note. She followed that up with a great 18:10, faster than Colleen Quigley ran on a very challenging Edwardsville course. Another big win at Louisville, Racette had a stellar regular season. The last two races, while being good, were a bit uncharacteristic of Sophia as she was attempting to recover from a late season illness: a 9th place finish at state and 44th at Foot Locker Regionals.
The Class 4 3200m champ put together a string of victories in the regular season leading up to a second place finish at sectionals and state only to Hannah Long. A fifth place finish at Nike Regionals punched her a ticket to Nike where she placed 110th.
Second Team
Carpino emerged as arguably KC’s second best runner. Her seventh place finish in Class 4 was a good way to end a solid season for the Lee’s Summit North Bronco.
An 8th place finish at Forest Park showed that Ste. Genevieve had two of the best runners in the state. A number of low finishes led to a fourth place finish at State. Her 29th place finish at NXN Midwest was fourth among the group from Missouri.
The future Tulsa runner had only a few defeats this season. A third place finish at Chile Pepper and a third place finish at State were the only times she didn’t finish first. Her 31st place finish at Foot Locker was the third best of a Missouri female – only behind Werner and Long.
Francis Howell might not have been the favorites headed into the season to repeat as champions, but a fifth place finish for this freshman at Forest Park put them in the mix quickly. Leigh earned All-State honors with a 23rd place finish at Oak Hills.
The tough competition continually throughout the season made her state race a huge success. Her 4th place finish was among her best placement from the entire season.
The SBU commit added another state cross title, her first since her freshman year. Other notable finishes include a third place finish at the Southern Stampede and a fourth place finish at the Greater Louisville Classic.
Zitting’s tenth place finish was instrumental in Francis Howell’s second straight title.
Third Team
One of the leaders from Rock Bridge, Farmer was 12th at Forest Park, 25th at Roy Griak, 5th at Parkway West, and 1st at Border War. A 15th place finish at State finished her season.
After top ten finishes at both Forest Park and the Southern Stampede, Griffith put together a strong regular season. An 8th place finish in Class 4 and 92nd place finish at NXN Midwest capped off her strong season.
The Russelllville senior finished her high school cross country career with a state championship.
Monsees flew under the radar, finishing first and second at lower key meets before a stellar 10th place finish at State.
A pair of 17th place finishes for Pierson at Forest Park and Rim Rock started a good season that finished in an 11th place finish at State.
Sisson stepped up big, leading the Titans for nearly all year. An 11th place finish at Palatine (IL) was followed by a third place finish at KC Metro. A 17th place finish added her first All-State Individual Honor before her sub-19 performance at Foot Locker where she placed 59th.
Williams, a 12th place finisher at state joins teammate Sisson rounding out our third team.