Corbin Starkweather came into her junior cross country season with lofty expectations, as a runner and a leader.
Yes, Starkweather was going to be a high-caliber runner that would contend for conference, regional and state championships, but the Crusaders were going to be young. They needed someone to step up and be the team’s leader.
Starkweather filled that role, and in part to Starkweather’s performance on the course and as the leader, Starkweather is Ad Astra Radio’s area girls cross country runner of the year.
Buhler didn’t have a single senior on this year’s team, and yet, the Crusaders repeated as Class 4A state champions. Starkweather led the way individually, finishing third at the state meet in Wamego, coming in with a time of 19 minutes, 14.33 seconds.
“Corbin worked hard this past year for not only herself, but for her team,” Buhler coach Curtis Morgan said. “She was an exceptional leader for a very young girls team. Everything she did was for the team. She is the ultimate teammate, and I am proud of her for being that person in a very individual sport. I can’t wait to see what she does next for this team and for herself.”
Starkweather went into the state meet on a high. She won a regional championship at Prairie Ridge Cross Country Course in Hutchinson, and Starkweather also won the AVCTL Division 3.and 4 championship.
Going into the postseason, Starkweather was poised to dominate, as she broke her own school record at the Sterling Invitational, which she won in a time of 18:49.8.
“She put in a lot of work and miles over the summer and it paid off in full this fall,” Morgan said. “She was consistently in the 19’s this season.”
