Week 1 Recap: Surprises and Not-So-Surprises

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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...