Paige Stuart narrowed her list to three schools for a future in college this fall.
The Blue Springs senior said it was down to Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Wake Forest.
Stuart says she uses cross country to stay in shape for track and field.
However, she's one of the better 5K races in the state despite it not being her best sport.
"Paige has always been talented, but I think as she has gotten older she has really gotten in tune with herself," Blue Springs coach Jennifer Reeder said. "After her stress fracture her sophomore year, she really had to listen to her body and work with coaches of how to approach each week and each workout to be successful. Am I hurting today or just sore? Can I get through a tough workout today knowing that tomorrow I will be on the bike? Really breaking down what her training looks like and why she trains the way she does and how that all best works for her. Coach Matt Johnson is our mid-distance coach here and he came back to coaching last year after taking a couple of years off. Coach Johnson did a phenomenal job of working with Paige and putting together the best plan for her."
She just took ninth at the KC Suburban Gold Conference meet on Saturday. Stuart was seventh at the Gans Creek Classic in September and ran a season-best 18:56.05 at the Missouri Southern Stampede on Sept. 21.
Last fall, she was 19th at the MSHSAA Class 5 State XC Championships and was 13th in the 2022 MSHSAA Class 5 State XC Championships.
Reeder says that Stuart stands out because of her versatility in track and field.
She can run the 400- and 800-meter events and has proved she's among the best in the state. Reeder said that Stuart would be competitive in the 1,600-meter run but could also run on the 4x100-meter relay.
"Who does that," Reeder questioned. "It is so much fun to watch her compete."
Her freshman year she was the runner-up in the 800-meter run and fourth in the 400-meter run.
Reeder said they moved away from her doing the 400 and 800 her sophomore year due to the injury.
"Her immediate question was, "'But that will only be 3 events, what else can I do to help the team?"," Reeder recalled. "I had been thinking about putting her on the 4x2 to get that relay faster and right away she was on board. The next weekend she helped give an extra spark to that relay that went out at sectionals and broke a school record."
Stuart has won the 800-meter state title in the past two Class 5 finals and will look to make it three in a row in May.
Hear Stuart's full 12-plus minute interview as she touches on the recruiting, cross country and the upcoming track and field season.
