First Team
Runner of the Year – Noah Kauppila
The Marquette senior had done it before – a state title in the 3200 as only a sophomore, another in the 800 as a junior. However, a cross title was missing. He added that and more in his final cross country season, winning the State title in a record time of 15:22. His 14th place finish at Nike Midwest is respectable but 8th at Foot Locker punched his ticket to San Diego.
The DeSmet Senior added his second top ten finish at the cross country State meet, finishing sixth this fall.
The Festus duo went back and forth throughout the season, but Tyler got the win when it counted – State. Gilliam reclaimed the Class 3 individual title only two years after former teammate, Drew White, won the race.
Haik, as dominant on the track as he is, has also shown great range in cross country. An early matchup at Forest Park brought a fourth place finish before a big win at the OSU Cowboy Jamboree. The future Columbia Lion went on to finish third at the State meet.
Mugeche raced well against top notch competition all season – 6th at Forest Park,4th at Rim Rock, 3rd at Chile Pepper, 2nd at State, and 12th at NXN Midwest.
A fifth place showing at Forest Park set up for a good season. After a down race at Rim Rock, 10th, he bounced back to finish fifth at State.
While Schulte might have only improved one place from last year’s State XC Meet (5th to 4th), the biggest jump came at Nike Midwest where he finished 4th to qualify for Nike Cross Nationals. He went on to finish 60th at Nationals.
Second Team
Barrett led a strong West Plains team throughout the year. The Zizzers took a blow when he got hurt for the State meet, but his regular season accomplishments put him on our second team.
A win in the smaller race at Forest Park set the tone for Byrley. A couple more small wins set up for good races at quality meets such as the Cowboy Jamboree and Chile Pepper where he placed 10th and 20th respectively. After an 11th place finish at State he closed the season with a 68th place finish at Nike Midwest.
Karls beat his teammate, Gilliam, more often than not including a 9th place finish at Forest Park. Karls finished third in Class 3 but bounced back with a top notch performance at Nike Midwest – 42nd.
The sophomore placed no higher than 4th throughout the season including seven top two finishes. He split up the Festus duo at State, finishing second in Class 3.
One heck of a sophomore season, Quisenberry won at Hancock, Paul Enke, and Parkway South. An 8th place finish in Class 4 sets him up to be one of the favorites for the next few seasons.
Thompson turned it on this season - 11th at Forest Park, 6th at Rim Rock, and 3rd at KC Metro during the regular season. With a seventh place finish at State and a top 50 finish at Nike Midwest, he will be among the favorites in Class 4 next year.
Way racked up the wins in Southwest Missouri before entering the State series. He grabbed a 12th place finish at State before cracking into the top 100 at Nike Midwest.
Third Team
Brown got it done on the track in the spring – winning the 1600 and 3200. This fall he got it done on the course, claiming the State title for Class 1.
Things came together for Cook at the end of the season despite a slower start. Thirty-third at Forest Park and 43rd at Roy Griak are good – but the end of the season was what put him on this list. Fourth at districts, third at sectionals, and 9th at state – Cook was huge for the Bruins late in the season.
Wins came early for Fambrough – winning Cass County and his home meet before going on a tough stretch – Heartland, Griak, and KC Metro. A solid 4th place finish at KC Metro and 4th place finish at a tough KC Sectional puts him on our third team.
Sectional champ, Lawson was a DNF at state. Despite that mark, his regular season earns him a spot on the third team. He had a fourth place finish at Lafayette, but besides that he came in the top two of every race.
Things started out hot for Miller with a huge win over Mugeche to begin the season followed by a 14th place finish at Forest Park. It continued with a 4th place finish at Rim Rock and 6th place finish at KC Metro.
Kickapoo senior had a great showing at Jefferson City – 10th in the Class 4 race.
Overstreet won all but two meets this year – finishing second in both of those. It was capped off by a Class 2 title.