The 2014 XC season is just around the corner and before we preview the upcoming season we look back at some of the top stories from 2013.
1. Francis Howell, SLUH repeat as Class 4 Champions - The 2013 season saw some great racing during the regular season from a number of teams who appeared ready to knock the defending Class 4 Champions off the podium but on November 9th it was once again Francis Howell and SLUH who took home a state championship.
SLUH repeats after results scare
2. Taylor Werner rewrites Missouri record book - In just her sophomore season, St Genevieve's Taylor Werner continued to run times never seen before in the state of Missouri. Her 16:47 at Forest Park and 17:31 in Jefferson City were truly memorable performances.
Werner surges to No. 1 with another Forest Park record
Werner does it again, smashes another record
3. Noah Kauppila breaks through- The now Princeton Tiger, the 2013 graduate from Marquette captured his first state XC championship to add to his decorated high school career.
Redemption for Kauppila comes with state record
4. Fatima sweeps Class 2, Girls set record with lowest 1-5 Split - The Fatima girls set a new standard for pack running at the state meet.
Fatima sticks together to claim Class 2 titles
5. Capital City XC Challenge - A regular season race at Oak Hills Golf Center in early October created a buzz across the state as teams had the opportunity to run the state XC course.
6. Potosi back on top - Coach Davis and the Potosi XC program returned to the top of the podium for the first time since 2007
Potosi claims first title since 2007
7. Russellville Sweeps Class 1 - State trophies are nothing new for the Russellville girls. The boys joined the party this year as the Indians swept the Class 1 team titles.
Russellville boys join in championship party
8. Miranda Hill's improbable win - The path to a state championship sometimes takes a detour.
Hill shows plenty of heart en route to Class 1 title
9. Show Me State shines out of state - Missouri runners crossed state lines last fall, often with great success
Long, Eureka Shine at Brooks Twilight Classic
10. Seth Brown captures state title - One of our most popular articles last season was the story of La Plata's Seth Brown
Brown's motivated run results in title
Next week we begin our look ahead to the 2014 season.