Once Upon a Rainy Day in Aggieville

It was a rainy day in Manhattan, Kansas. The drive west was fraught with downpour and dwindling hope. But upon arrival at Warner Park, the rain ceased, the cooler air dove in, and the course was being modified. It felt like cross-country.

The boys' and girls' races were fast . . . and not just the varsity. No. All across the board, the Chesty Lions were putting their mettle to the test and working harder than any season debut that I can remember. On the boys side, Jack Ryan established himself as a top-State performer with a 2nd place finish in a new PR of 16:23.3. The rest of the boys were bound together in the 18's and low-19's; averaging 18:09 as a team. In the JV race, Jonathan Spoula showed some grit as he obliterated his previous PR with a swift time of 20:29.3. And then in our C race, newcomer Aidan Zimney showed that he is ready for the 5k distance with a 5th place finish in the 4k race with a time of 16:23.6; equivalent to roughly 20:45.0 for a full 5k.

On the Lady Lions' side, Natalie Kennedy got a little closer to that 20-minute mark with a stellar, opening time of 20:19.8, catapulting her up to #4 on the All-Time list since 2015. The other ladies packed in nicely for a 1:47.9 spread, awarding them a 4th place team finish. In the JV/C race, freshman Ruby Hull made a name for herself by going out with the lead pack and competing for the top spot most of the race. She ended up bringing home a 2nd place finish in a great 4k time of 17:39.3 (roughly 22:21.0 for 5k) and earning a spot on next week's varsity squad.

Overall, the 2021 debut for the Chesty Lions was phenomenal and something that we, the coaches, have not seen in a long while. It was great to see the runners continue to compete even though the ground was saturated and mud riddled the course. The year has started off with a bang and we cannot wait to see what comes next! #ontothenext