After a great freshman year last year, Blue Valley West sophomore Stuart McNutt is off to a phenomenal sophomore campaign. McNutt was 1st at the J.K. Gold Classic to begin his year which he followed up with a 3rd place finish at the competitive Missouri Southern Stampede behind two out-of-staters. Last Saturday at Rim Rock he finished 7th, the 2nd Kansas finisher beind Week 1 Runner of the Week Colton Donahue, in a 15:43.80. Here is what he had to say about his race and the rest of his year.
Kansas MileSplit - Stuart, you were the second Kansas finisher on Saturday at Rim Rock in a new PR of 15:43. Talk to us about what your goals were going into the race and how it played out.
Stuart McNutt - I knew the field was going to be very strong and competitive so my goal was to try to stay with the front pack for as long as I could and see how it would play out. Being able to race against the top Missouri and Kansas runners I knew it would make for an amazing race and it pushed me to a great PR.
KM - Last year you traveled out to North Carolina for the New Balanance Nationals meet. You placed 3rd in the Freshman Boys 2 Mile in a 9:47. What was it like going to such a competitive meet and racing against some of the best kids from your class?
SM - It was a great opportunity for me to compete in this race with some of the best competition in the country. Coming from the midwest I knew I was already competing against some of the best competition so when I got into the race I felt confident in my training. It was difficult being at a race without any of my teammates or coaches. I was actually the last one to check into the race, and I was told I had the wrong spikes and my mom had to go to the buy new spikes 5 minutes before the start of the race.
KM - What does your race schedule for the rest of the year look like?
SM - This weekend I am racing at KC Metro and then I am taking the next weekend off. After that I have EKL, regionals, and state. Depending on how I do the rest of the season I will then decide whether or not I am going to Nike, Footlocker, or both.
KM - What are your goals for the rest of the year?
SM - The competition has improved every week, so I hope to drop time each and every week for the rest of the season. I also want to stay healthy and improve my time from rim rock at the state meet and also try to break my schools 5K record.
KM - Being just a sophomore and already mixing it up with not only some of the best runners in Kansas, but also the midwest you must be pretty excited about the future. What are your long term goals for high school?
SM - Well last year we placed 3rd at state in Cross country and were so close so I would love to help my team win a state championship. Individually I would like to be one of the top runners in the nation before I end my high school career.
KM - Thank you for your time Stuart and best of luck on the rest of your year!