Brayden Walker couldn’t have asked for a whole lot more out of his sophomore cross country season.
 
The Southeast of Saline standout was downright unbeatable for the bulk of the season. Walker won his first eight races of the season, the last of those victories coming at the Council Grove Class 3A regional.
 
But a bout with low iron took its toll in the postseason. Even though his times of 16:30.60 at regionals and 16:33.30 at the Class 3A state meet weren’t too far off his season-best of 16:02.23, Walker still wasn’t able to put his best foot forward and his bid to complete the undefeated season fell well short as he finished 15^th at state.
 
“I just had body issues that kicked in right at regionals and state,” Walker said. “I went all out but I just didn’t enough energy. It was very disappointing. I wanted to at least get top three and that was doable. Clay (Shively) and Sam (Ferguson), you can’t do much with them but I knew I could have been right there with them.”
 
Walker was referring to the Wichita Trinity Academy standouts who finished 1-2 in the 3A state race almost side-by-side with just .10 seconds separating them. Both graduated last spring, leaving the throne open this year for a new champion to be crowned.
 
And Walker is determined to be that guy.
 
“I feel good right now,” Walker said. “After last year and not really feeling good all spring, I really couldn’t wait to start training to get ready for this season.”
 
Walker’s season-best time a year ago came in a victory at the Wamego Invitational and Walker was back on the Wamego Country Club course Saturday to defend his title in the boys Class 4A race – one the 3A Trojans traditionally run in to face stiffer competition. The competition was definitely there with a pair of 2023 state champions in the field – Class 4A champion Caleb Muehler of McPherson and Class 1A champion Caleb Durst of Lebo, each of whom claimed their state titles on the Wamego course last October.
 
Walker didn’t quite match his winning time of a year ago, but met the challenge the field presented. He was right on his season-opening time of 16:08.58 in winning the Great Bend Invitational, clocking a 16:08.73. Muehler took second in 16:16.37 while Durst was fourth in 16:43.07 with Wamego’s Peyton Parker sliding in between the defending champions in third (16:33.42).
 
“I wanted to make a statement,” Walker said. “It’s great to see that competition because after this, we really don’t see much except for at Buhler. This is basically all we’ve got until state. I wanted to go a little faster, but I think today was just a slower day. Last year was really fast.”
 
Last year, Walker had to hold off older brother Cayden for the Wamego title, beating him by just over four seconds. Cayden graduated last spring, along with two other seniors from a Trojan team that finished runner-up to Wichita Trinity at state for the past three years.
 
But with Walker and fellow standout Jacob Bircher returning, the Trojans once again will be in the hunt for the team title. Southeast took the team title at Wamego, finishing with 57 points to easily top runner-up Wamego by 25 points and defending 4A champion Buhler by 61 points.
 
Bircher added a fifth-place finish and senior Jacob Tonne came in seventh. Southeast also got strong showings from twin freshmen Zachary and Brooks Carlin, who finished 23^rd and 26^th, respectively in the 136-runner field.
 
“We lost some good seniors last year and it’s different not having Cayden around,” Walker said. “Just running with each other every day, he was always there. And his leadership was so good as well. That’s my role now and I want to win state both as a team and individually.”
 
Southeast of Saline’s girls also came away from Wamego with a 4A race team title in hand. The Trojans only had two individuals in the top 20 – sophomore Piper Brown in 16^th and freshman Ava McGraw in 20^th – but put five in the top 30 to finish with 97 points and beat 4A power Baldwin by four points.
 

 
NO ONE BETTER: SEAMAN’S MILLER SETS GIRLS STATE 5K RECORD
 
It was perhaps a bit of a premonition on the part of Seaman girls cross country coach Rick Brading.
 
After Viking standout Ryan Miller opened the season at the Manhattan Invitational with a winning time of 16:59.46 that ranked as the fourth-best girls’ 5-kilometer time in state history, Brading hinted that something better was on the horizon. 
 
“Knowing that we run on the Kanza course at least twice, and possibly three times this year, I predict great races are yet to come,” Brading said of the Topeka course where Miller ran her best times last year.
 
Sure enough, the Kanza course brought out the best in Miller once again. And now she ranks second to none in state history.
 
In winning Saturday’s Joe Schrag Invitational title for the third straight year, Miller became the girls’ 5K state record holder. Miller blazed to a time of 16:32.62 that not only was more than a minute faster than her winning time a year ago but easily eclipsed the previous state record of 16:45.75 set by Girard’s Callie Logue in 2017.
 
“It definitely became a goal today,” Miller said. “That was on my mind for sure.”

Miller’s time withstood a bid by rival Katelyn Rupe of Salina Central to match or better her at Saturday night’s Olathe Twilight Invitational, which also typically lends to ultra-fast times. Rupe posted a career best with a 16:52.70, falling short of Miller’s record run, but moving her to fourth on the state’s all-time list.
 

 
NORTHERN HEIGHTS’ MCCRORY DOMINATES AT WAMEGO AGAIN

Last year’s Wamego Invitational served as somewhat of a coming out party for Northern Heights’ Ellei McCrory.

After opening the 2023 season with a modest victory at the Burlington Invitational, McCrory announced she was a serious state title contender as a freshman with an 18:49.05 at Wamego that blew away the Class 3-2-1A race field by more than a minute.

That was just the start of an undefeated freshman season for McCrory, who had no trouble running the table and won the Class 1A state title with an 18:30.70.

McCrory won’t enjoy another undefeated season this fall. But she remains the 1A favorite after another dominating showing at Wamego. While she didn’t leave the field completely in her dust, McCrory’s winning time of 19:00.86 was still nearly 25 seconds ahead of runner-up Payton Wurtz of Wabaunsee.

“Obviously this time today isn’t what I hoped, but I’ve been kind of sick,” McCrory said. “But the second race of the season isn’t the goal, it’s state. I’m just really excited to run this year, confident in who I am in Jesus.”

McCrory was coming off the first loss of her cross country career in this year’s season opener. Instead of running at Burlington, McCrory instead ran at the Wichita State JK Gold Invitational. The field included mostly large-school competition and McCrory finished runner-up to Andover’s Madelyn Wallace, who placed seventh at last year’s Class 5A state meet.

The loss mattered little to McCrory, who instead relished facing the tough competition.

“Ultimately the biggest challenge is being the best that I can be and surrounding myself with good competition is a great way to chase that,” said McCrory, who said she will run in the Gold Division at the prestigious Rim Rock Invitational later this year as well as a big meet at Junction City.
 

 
WEST FRANKLIN’S BAILEY ADJUSTS MINDSET TO MAKE RUN AT 3A TITLE

It’s not that Hunter Bailey thought he would simply cruise through his high school cross country career after beginning it with a victory at the Silver Lake Invitational as a freshman in 2021.

But when success came as easily as it did throughout his first three seasons, Bailey admitted he maybe didn’t push himself as much as he probably could have. That led to a somewhat disappointing end to each of his first three seasons, especially a year ago. 

Bailey was a Class 3A state placer as a freshman, taking 19^th. But then he missed out on a top 20 finish as a sophomore. Last year as a junior, he took 17^th – well below his expectations.

“I think it was not being in the right head space,” Bailey said. “It was not training as hard as I should have. I’ve got great coaches that push me, but I didn’t push myself as hard as I needed to.”

In his last go-round this year, Bailey has his mind set on not only getting his first top 10 finish at state, but challenging for the title. Through two meets, he can’t argue with the results.

Bailey opened the year with his third win at Silver Lake in four years and then followed with arguably the biggest win of his career at Saturday’s Wamego Invitational. In winning the Class 3-2-1A race, Bailey turned in a 16:31.44 that marked his best time on the course by 19 seconds.

He’s only had one faster race in his career, that coming at last year’s Osage City Invitational where times were unusually fast a year ago.

“This was a pretty big one, a big improvement over last year,” Bailey said. “I’ve done a lot more training, put in a lot more miles over the summer. … I’m putting the hurt on the grid this year.”

Bailey was pushed at Wamego, hanging back in the pack until hitting the first set of hills on the course. There, he made a little bit of a move and eventually held off Santa Fe Trail’s Bryce Roberts, who finished second in 16:40.98. 

“The competition was good,” Bailey said. “At the mile mark with those back-to-back up and downs, I went back and forth with Ell-Saline (senior Garrison Zerger) and (Roberts). Then I tried to move up and pull away over the rest of the course.”

Bailey has his sights set on challenging for the 3A state title this year, but the competition will be strong even without two-time defending champion Clay Shively of Wichita Trinity returning. Southeast of Saline’s Brayden Walker won the 4A race at Wamego on Saturday and won eight of nine races a year ago. Holcomb’s Brody Deniston also returns after taking third at state a year ago as do three others from last year’s top 10.

“I think it’s a big possibility,” Bailey said. “Seeing Brady and Brody going out and doing awesome this year already, it makes me want it more. My training right now is really heavy and I think there’s plenty of room for improvement.”
 
 
OTHER CROSS COUNTRY STANDOUTS

• While Viking teammate Ryin Miller has grabbed a lot of the early headlines for Seaman, the boys squad has its own budding star in junior Brody Anderson. In just his second year running cross country, Anderson has become the program’s all-time record holder. Anderson set the school record at the Joe Schrag Invitational, running a 15:17.05, which broke the old school record by 30 seconds. The time was an 18-second PR over his season-opening time of 15:35.77 in his victory at the Manhattan Invitational. Seaman’s boys also got a PR from senior Alex Newell, who has battled hip injuries since his freshman season but finished 11^th at the Joe Scrag meet in 17:06.52.
• Chapman’s Drew Elliott set a school record at the Olathe Twilight meet on Saturday. Elliott finished in 15:55, placing 34^th at the 463-runner meet.
• Washburn Rural’s girls scored a huge team win at the Olathe Twilight meet, taking the girls title with 90 points to finish 30 ahead of four-time reigning 6A champion Olathe West. Payton Fink finished fifth individually to lead the Junior Blues, while Rylee Ismert was 10^th and Emily Graf was 21^st.
• Junction City freshman Linden Pickler also enjoyed a big day at the Olathe Twilight. Her time of 18:43.90 was fastest among freshmen in the girls race and placed her 10^th overall. Her mark ranks No. 2 all-time in Blue Jay history and she’s the top freshman in the state by 17 seconds this season.
• Even without Owen Miller, Central Heights completely dominated the Lyndon Invitational boys race with the Vikings claiming the top six places. Cody Hammond won in 17:38.19, just .14 seconds ahead of Connor Burkdoll. Stetson Miller, Josiah Meyer, Christian McCord and Jotham Meyer rounded out the top six for the Vikings with both Meyers recording personal bests at the meet. Heights also swept the top 11 places in the boys’ JV race.
• Silver Lake went 1-2 in the boys race at the Holton Invitational with Aemon Coffman edging teammate Hunter Rooks by 10 seconds for the title. Coffman won in 18:30.10 and the Eagles also got a sixth from Caleb Rooks and three more in the top 20 to easily take the team title. Hiawatha swept the girls title with Paula Rockey leading the Red Hawks to win with a nine-second win over Holton freshman Ava Clayton for the individual crown in 20:53.39.