The first full weekend of cross country in Kansas gave us
our first look at several teams and individuals we expected to be at the front
of the pack in 2016.
Ah, you know the names: Kyler True, Molly Born, Emily Venters, Cailie Logue. Among the teams, St. Thomas Aquinas, Olathe East,
Manhattan and Olathe North, and many more.
What gets me really excited are the surprises. Like Yates
Center boy's 1-2-3 punch of Hadley Splechter (16:59), Colin Bedell (17:06) and
Jordan Smith (18:13) at the Burlington Invitational. They finished 2-4 at
Burlington on Thursday, and with that front-running power, immediately
established the Wildcats as a team that could be very interesting to watch come
time for the 2A state meet.
And how 'bout Manhattan's Matthew Pickering, who notched the
top time in the state this weekend by a freshman. He ran 16:37 at Warner Park;
if you've ever been to Warner Park, you know that Mile Hill, the dips and two
other sharp inclines at 2 and 3 miles ar...