Cross Country Runners Are Making Strides with New Distances

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Abby Stiner

On Saturday, September 19th, the cross country team traveled down to Wichita’s Cessna Activity Center to compete against twenty other teams. The varsity girls ran first. This was the second time they have raced in a 5K, after KSHSAA upped the distance this summer. Junior Karen Razo placed seventh out of eighty-nine runners. Sophomore Paloma Sandoval and Senior Ashley Weingrad placed sixtieth and sixty-first. Sandoval ran for a time of 23:22 and Weingrad ran 23:24. Every girl ran their fastest time so far this season.  

The varsity boys were up next. Sophomore Kerby Depenbusch placed second with a time of 16:12. Junior Eric Vazquez took twenty-second, running the course in 17:15. “I felt like I did pretty good, but I know I can do better and I will keep working hard with the rest of the boys to get where we need to be,” said Vazquez.

Overall, the girls placed twelfth and the boys placed ninth. “We are making slow but steady progress… We put together a couple of good races. The boys put together a good race, but we still need to move the four, five, and six runners up with the one, two and three. I think the girls are still transitioning to the distance change, but we will get them where they need to be,” said Coach Todd Kaiser.