Central Heights has had plenty of success over the last decade, including a Class 2A boys state championship in 2018.
 
But Cody Hammond did something no Viking had done during that stretch in taking the title at last week’s Wellsville Invitational. In winning his third straight race, Hammond became the first Viking in more than a decade to crack the 17-minute barrier.
 
Going into the race with a career-best time of 17 minutes, 3.75 seconds, run at last year’s Flint Hills League meet, Hammond blew that mark away at Wellsville. He finished in 16:37.81 to finish 13 seconds ahead of Louisburg’s Jerynce Brings Plenty.
 
Hammond previously had won titles at the Lyndon and Burlington Invitationals and is coming off a seventh-place finish at last year’s Class 2A state meet. His time ranks No. 2 on Heights’ all-time list, trailing only a 16:27.60 by Greg Carey at the 1988 Class 3A state meet in a runner-up showing that led the Vikings to the team title.
 
“Cody has been getting more comfortable with running near the race leaders this year and he was really determined to dip below 17:00 for the first time, which is difficult to do on Wellsville’s course,” Heights coach Troy Prosser said. “Being the school record-holder in the 800, his finish speed is one of his strengths.”
 

 
Hammond was one of five Viking boys to set PRs at Wellsville as Heights ran away with the team title, scoring 31 points to finish 43 ahead of league rival West Franklin. Connor Burkdoll and Owen Miller finished fourth and fifth, respectively, with Miller setting a PR with his time of 17:16.45. Christian McCord just missed the top 10, taking 11^th, and Stetson Miller also was in the top 15 in 14^th with a PR time.
 

 
CROSS COUNTRY STANDOUTS
 

• Osage City’s Emory Speece already owned the Indians’ school record, setting it a year ago when she ran a 19:58.55 at the Indians’ home meet. Now the sophomore is putting it out of reach for future Indians. In finishing runner-up at the Karr Classic at Northern Heights, Speece obliterated her previous school record by nearly 45 seconds with a career-best time of 19:14. She finished runner-up to Heights freshman Ellei McCrory, who won for the third time in as many races, finishing in 18:43. McCrory’s time was a six-second improvement over her win at Wamego on Sept. 9 and ranks as the 16^th-fastest in the state this fall.
• Washburn Rural’s Payton Fink moved to No. 7 on the state list with her win at the inaugural Schufelberger Top City Classic at Washburn Rural last Saturday. Fink finished in 18:10.10 to beat Junction City’s Lorna Rae Pierce by 9.5 seconds and Seaman’s Ryin Miller – the overall state leader – by 26.5 seconds. Fink led Rural to a runner-up team finish to defending 6A champion Olathe West.
• Prairie View’s Bree Allen cruised to the girls’ title at Wellsville, winning by more than a minute in 19:33.44. West Franklin was the team winner, led by a 6-7 finish from Katie Cameron and Hope Crabtree.
• Olpe’s Kaleb Arnold was the boys winner at the Karr Classic, finishing in 16:57 to beat runner-up Silus Hernandez of Chase County by 29 seconds. 
• Rock Creek’s freshmen twin sisters Lucia and Livia Nippert finished 1-2 at the Onaga Invitational with Lucia finishing in 22:04.15, 42 seconds ahead of Livia. Older sister Kyra was seventh. Axtell’s Grady Buessing was the boys’ winner in 17:42.11.
• Nemaha Central’s John Langill followed up his win at the Wamego Invitational with a title at the Hiawatha Invitational, winning a thriller against Royal Valley’s Dominick Schnider, who had won his first two races of the season. Langill edged Schnider by less than 2 seconds, winning in 16:57.96 with Schnider right behind in 16:59.71.
• Holton’s Eva Cortes picked up her second win of the year at Hiawatha, winning in 20:42.33, more than a minute ahead of Nemaha Central’s Madilyn Mosteller.
• Chapman’s Drew Elliott and Dereck Klukas finished 1-2 at the Clay Center Invitational. Elliott won in 16:47.30, 15 seconds ahead of Klukas. Clay Center’s Lauren Smith defended her home course with the girls’ title, crossing in 19:47.40 to win by 47 seconds.
• Like Langill, Southeast of Saline’s Brayden Walker followed up his Wamego 4A race win with another pair of titles. Wallker led a 1-2 finish with teammate Levi Allen at the Buhler Invitational as the Trojans dominated, placing four in the top six overall. Walker won in 16:26.90, less than 6 seconds ahead of Allen. Cayden Walker was fourth and Jacob Bircher was sixth. At the Trojans’ home meet on Tuesday, Southeast went 1-2-3-4 with Walker winning in 16:56.52, 7 seconds ahead of Allen with Cayden third and Bircher fourth. The Trojan girls also took the team title at their home meet, led by an eighth from Abby Commerford.
• Basehor-Linwood freshman Henley Erickson won the first title of her career at the Tonganoxie Invitational, winning in 20:54.13, 30 seconds ahead of Tonganoxie’s Kara Johnson.
• De Soto’s Luke Swarts put his name into contender status in 5A with his win at the Wildcats’ home meet. Swarts just edged returning state top-six finisher Logan Beckman of Spring Hill, winning by .15 seconds in 17:49.86.
• Shawnee Heights’ Jackson Esquibel took second at the Baldwin Invitational behind Shawnee Mission North’s Micah Blomker. Esquibel finished in 15:50.25, 18 seconds behind Blomker.