(Photo Credit: Michael Frazier)
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Morgan Wedekind is no stranger to Rim Rock Farm.
The Valley Center senior defended her Crimson Division title of the Rim Rock Farm Classic Saturday in a season-best time of 15:04. Her familiarity with the course paid dividends as she overtook Lexington’s Vanessa Ambriz and Lansing twins Nashia and Malika Baker in the second half of the race.
“I knew what to expect and kind of strategized in my head what parts to take it easier on and what parts of the race to push through,” said Wedekind, who won last year in 15:25. “I feel like I’m actually getting better.”
Wedekind returned to the same course for the 5A state meet and finished runner-up to Wichita-Bishop Carroll’s Kaelyn Balch, who was fourth in the Gold Division in 14:54.
“I just want to be better at state than I am now,” Wedekind said.
Ambriz finished runner-up in 15:28 and the Baker twins came in side-by-side in 15:39.
Maize South won the Crimson Division title with four scoring runners coming in the top 20, including Mady Nestor in eighth (15:57). Olathe North was second (150) and Valley Center took third (174).
Truman junior Cole Rockhold entered the Rim Rock race with high expectations, but he knew he had to remain patient and cautious to make it happen.
Rockhold had not ran on the Rim Rock Farm course since his freshman year, so he had to rely on others to chart a proper pace. With a little less than a mile left, Rockhold finally decided it was time to run his own race and he pulled away for a 15-second victory in 15:38.
“I was afraid to take the lead a little bit because I wasn’t sure where the hills where exactly because I haven’t ran it in two years,” Rockhold said. “It’s a pretty awesome race to win.”
The victory was secondary to Rockhold’s initial goal of breaking 16 minutes. With a faster course at KC Metro, and some more quality opponents, Rockhold thinks the times will continue to fall.
“I’ll keep lowering my time from here I guess as long as I get good competition,” Rockhold said. “I wanted to break 16, but I didn’t know I was going to be under it by that much, and if a win came with that, even better.”
Wamego won the boys’ title with 164 points, and Jordan Routh paced the squad in seventh. Wichita-Kapaun Mt. Carmel was second (181) and Dodge City was third (210).