Wamego, Kan. – Buhler girls cross country raced through adverse weather conditions on Saturday to claim the 4A State Title at Wamego Country Club. Their second in the last six seasons.
The lady Crusaders saved their best race for last, placing five runners in the top 35 and edging out defending champion Eudora.
“We are super proud of all of these athletes and how they represented their school today,” head coach Curtis Morgan said.
Corbin Starkweather, who broke the school record earlier this season, led her squad as she’s done all year. Starkweather came home 13th with a time of 20:55.41. Not too far behind was teammate Isabella Friesen in 14th with a time of 21:83.05.
Starkweather and Friesen are both underclassmen, as are five more of Buhler’s top 10 runners. Ensuring the Crusaders should be a title contender for some time to come.
Boys
A sloppy state course was made even sloppier by the time the Buhler boys started their race. The Crusaders were undeterred, however, as they challenged Wamego for the top spot. Ultimately, the defending champs would finish runner-up, just a handful of points out of first place.
“The boys gave everything they had,” Morgan said.
Three Buhler runners placed inside the top 10, led by Gavin Lindahl in 5th with a time of 16:51.10. Henry Trumpp and Kai Mendenhall finished 6th and 7th respectively.
It’s yet another trophy for the Buhler boys to add to an already impressive collection. Five state titles and two runner-up finishes in the last seven seasons.
Area Results
McPherson’s Caleb Mueuhler finished his junior season impressively, winning the induvial boys title in Class 4A with a time of 16:33.40.
In 3A girls, Hesston won the team title by a single point over second place Wichita Trinity. Reese Quinn and Avery Larson both placed inside the top 7 for the Swathers.
Hutchinson Trinity finished runner-up to Central Heights in the 2A boys race. The Celtics’ Jacob Lindstrom crossed the finish line 3rd with a time of 17:00.29.
Harper Newcome represented Central Christian well in 1A girls. The freshman raced home second with a time of 20:34.68.
All class results from today’s State Championship races can be found at https://kshsaa.org/Public/CrossCountry/State.cfm.
