AUGUSTA – It had been a while – three years and three days, to be exact – since Mill Valley senior Katie Schwartzkopf had this feeling.
 
With nobody in front of her and nobody really close behind her, a smile blossomed on Schwartzkopf's face as she approached the finish line in the Class 5A girls cross country championship race at 4 Mile Creek Resort.
 
After winning the 6A title as a freshman at Lawrence's Rim Rock Farm and following it with runner-up finishes in 6A and 5A the last two years, Schwartzkopf didn't need another victory to validate her successful high school career. But on a perfect autumn morning, Schwartzkopf took control early in the race and pulled away for a 41-second victory with a time of 17:51.8.
 
The celebration in the Jaguars' circle went up a notch when Mill Valley coach Chris McAfee gathered his team and emphatically told them, "It's unofficial, but this year for Halloween, you're going as state champs."
 
The final results confirmed McAfee's declaration. Mill Valley's team score of 71 points edged St. Thomas Aquinas by two and Great Bend by seven, giving the Jaguars their third state title in four years and first in 5A.
 
"When I knew that I crossed the finish line, that was exciting, but it doesn't feel real until you hear your whole team won," Schwartzkopf said. "Just having people to celebrate and that camaraderie aspect makes it all worthwhile."
 
As a freshman, Schwartzkopf helped Mill Valley win the 6A team title by rolling to a 23-second victory. Blue Valley's Victoria Wingrove dethroned her in the 6A race at Rim Rock in 2019, and last year, Bishop Carroll's Hope Jackson edged Schwartzkopf by six seconds to win her second straight 5A championship.
 
On Saturday, Schwartzkopf ended Jackson's reign. The Carroll senior finished fifth behind Schwartzkopf, Kansas City Piper's Grace Hanson, Mill Valley's Charlotte Caldwell and St. Thomas Aquinas' Mareike Krebs.
 
"I definitely have built a better relationship with running and I think I have become stronger in that aspect," Schwartzkopf said. "Just being my senior season and only having one more chance, I just had a lot more motivation and a lot more work ethic."
 
Schwartzkopf had served notice during the regular season, posting a time of 17:44.6 at the Olathe Twilight Invitational. She was the only 5A runner to post a sub-18 minute time this fall.
 
"There's definitely been a growth in confidence," McAfee said of Schwartzkopf. "Her freshman year, she probably actually wasn't the best girl in the state, but she just kind of just hung around and ran the best race that day. That comes with a lot of pressure after that, and she's been able to handle it really well.
 
"This year, she was able to grow beyond the expectations of other people and really zero in on what she wanted to accomplish. She was very focused on that, and just did a tremendous job all season long as a leader and with her work ethic. We're very excited for her."
 

Mill Valley turns the tables
 
In addition to winning another team championship, the Jaguars avenged a three-point regional loss to Aquinas. Caldwell, a freshman, posted a time of 18:47.0 and her classmate and McAfee's daughter, Meghan, finished in 19:34.1 to earn individual medals and join Schwartzkopf in the top 20.
 
Another freshman, Laura Hickman, and senior Logan Pfeister completed Mill Valley's team score.
 
"They were very motivated on Monday," McAfee said. "It's kind of funny because they don't always show that much fire.
 
"On Monday, they came in and were a little bit mad. They wanted to come back and beat Aquinas and redeem that loss. We respect Aquinas a ton and Coach (Justin) Wrigley is one of my closest friends. It's a good battle with them, and we make each other better."
 
Krebs posted Aquinas' top time of 18:50.9. Sophomore Sophia Spinello ran 19:47.0 to finish 20^th individually. Junior Quinn Babcock, senior Alexis Huddin and freshman Anna DiCarlo finished ahead of Mill Valley's last two scorers, but it wasn't enough to catch the Jaguars.
 
Great Bend, which won its home regional last weekend, placed all of its scorers in the top 30 to earn third. Senior Emilia Diaz (19:38.2) and freshman Marissa Boone (19:39.3) earned individual medals, finishing 16^th and 17^th.
 
 
CLASS 5A GIRLS
Team scores
Mill Valley 71, St. Thomas Aquinas 73, Great Bend 78, Seaman 114, Bishop Carroll 127, St. James Academy 154, Maize South 177, Kapaun Mount Carmel 182, Emporia 205, Hays 279, Leavenworth 304, Basehor-Linwood 338.
 
Individual results
1. Katie Schwartzkopf, Mill Valley, 17:51.8; 2. Grace Hanson, KC Piper, 18:33.3; 3. Charlotte Caldwell, Mill Valley, 18:47.0; 4. Mareike Krebs, St. Thomas Aquinas, 18:50.9; 5. Hope Jackson, Bishop Carroll, 18:58.0; 6. Bethany Druse, Seaman, 19:10.4; 7. Sophia Landrum, De Soto, 19:19.2; 8. Isabella Ross, BV Southwest, 19:25.2; 9. Zoie Ecord, Maize, 19:27.6; 10. Elizabeth Willhite, Emporia, 19:27.9; 11. Britton Kelly, Maize South, 19:27.9; 12. Vienna Lahner, Spring Hill, 19:29.8; 13. Landon Forbes, Bishop Carroll, 19:30.2; 14. Brooke Bundt, De Soto, 19:31.6; 15. Meghan McAfee, Mill Valley, 19:34.1; 16. Emilia Diaz, Great Bend, 19:38.2; 17. Marissa Boone, Great Bend, 19:39.3; 18. Brooke Martin, Bishop Carroll, 19:40.1; 19. Katelyn Menghini, St. James Academy, 19:41.4; 20. Sophia Spinello, St. Thomas Aquinas, 19:47.0.