JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Hannah Long did it one more time.
The Eureka senior heard the starter’s pistol for the last time at the Oak Hills Golf Center cross country course, and she quickly opened a gap on the field by time they climbed the first hill and made the right turn less than a half mile into the race. Long continued to stretch that lead over the remaining three miles before winning her third consecutive Class 4 state cross country title in 17:38.29.
Including a runner-up finish as a freshman in 2011, Long is now a four-time medalist and joins Eureka’s Merideth Snow and College Heights Christian’s Emily Beaver as the only girls to win three individual state titles. Stoutland’s Jamie Vest won four Class 1 titles from 2001-04.
“I really wanted to stay focused and relaxed the whole time and run my own race,” Long said. “It was my last time on the course so I wanted to give it all I had. It wasn’t quite the time I was looking for, but it was definitely tougher conditions that last year with the wind. I’m very happy to end on a good note.”
Long briefly had a course record last year with her 17:46 victory as a junior, but shortly after her race Ste. Genevieve’s Taylor Werner supplanted that record with an all-time low mark of 17:31.30. Saturday, Long came within seven seconds of Werner’s record and established the second fastest time ever, which also gives her three of the top 10 fastest times at the state meet.
Long said she was nearly on her target pace when she crossed the first mile marker in 5:21, and she slowed slightly over the second mile. The third mile, with the infamous Firehouse Hill, proved a challenge once again.
“I think I came through in 5:20 so I had a good start,” Long said. “But that last hill was definitely rough. It’s always rough every year, but I had to keep pushing through and I gave it all I had.
“It definitely feels different. It’s my last title for cross country. It’s very exciting – sad and happy at the same time I guess.”
Behind Long there was a tight battle for second place. Nerinx Hall’s Sophia Racette emerged from the pack and finally put a couple strides on Marquette’s Hannah Pierson to capture second place in Class 4 (18:09). Racette said her strategy played out exactly as she planned.
“That was my whole plan was to let Hannah go,” Racette said. “I knew she was going to run a crazy fast time, and I could not do that. My goal was to just stick with that pack. We all know each other and have raced each other so many times. If I felt good the plan was for me to make my move up Firehouse Hill, and I didn’t feel great, but I felt good enough I was able to go.
“I had no idea where (Pierson) was. The noise was deafening. I couldn’t hear myself breathing, let alone hear (Pierson) breathing behind me. I was going as hard as I could to get to the finish. It was kind of nerve wracking that last minute of the race, but I’m glad how it turned out.”
Long, who announced her intentions to sign with Stanford this week, will now target the Foot Locker Midwest Regional in Wisconsin. A top 10 finish there will earn her a third trip to nationals in California. After taking 10th at nationals as a sophomore, Long slipped back to 23rd last year. That has kept Foot Locker as a driving motivational force all fall, and Long has three weeks to prepare for regionals.
“I was a little more focused on postseason this year because I want to improve from last year,” Long said. “I think this is a good stepping stone toward the right direction. (Training is) more to maintain but also to tweak a couple little things and start working on that finishing speed for the higher level racing.”
