The 2024 cross country season already has a vastly different look to it for Ellis’ Avery Boydston.
For starters, she’s suffered an early-season loss – something that didn’t happen to her until her fifth meet of the season a year ago when she won her first four meets and finished the season with five wins overall as well as three runner-up showings.
But the biggest difference has come in Boydston’s schedule. Coming off a runner-up finish at last year’s Class 2A state meet, Ellis coach Mark Wildeman knew a more challenging schedule would prove beneficial to his talented junior in the long run.
So instead of having Boydston run at smaller meets at Quinter and WaKeeney to start the season as she did a year ago, Boydston has taken on bigger challenges at bigger meets. She answered the call just fine at the season-opening Smoky Valley Invitational, winning by six seconds over Smoky Valley’s Esther Clark with a time of 19:56.00.
The challenge was even greater Saturday when Boydston made her first appearance at the Wamego Invitational.
“We’ve been wanting to run this race for a couple years, and we finally got in it,” Boydston said.
Only here’s the thing. Boydston was a late enough entry that by the time she got entered, all the chutes in the Class 3-2-1A field were filled. So Boydston had to compete in the Class 4A race.
“That was a little nerve-wracking,” she said, “but exciting for sure. It’s always a blessing to be under pressure.”
Boydston handled the nerves and excitement like a seasoned veteran, however. Not only did she compete against the best the 4A field had to offer, but darn near won the race. Boydston led for early stretches of the race before Eudora’s Hanna Keltner – last year’s 4A state runner-up and the defending champion at the Wamego Invitational – pulled away late for the win.
Keltner won in 18;54.53 while Boydston was second in 19:19.53. Her time was just off the career-best 19:16.10 she ran at the Class 2A state meet last year, which also came on the Wamego Country Club course.
“I was pretty excited because it was just three seconds under my PR and this is only my second race of the season,” Boydston said.
Boydston beat a handful of last year’s top finishers at the 4A state meet, including Clay Center’s Lauren Smith and Kylie Pfizenmaier and Baldwin’s Irelyn Kennedy. That should only boost her confidence as she tries to go after the 2A title this season.
On the horizon will be multiple meetings with last year’s 2A state champion, Mid-Continent League rival Madison Howland of Smith Center. Howland won all three meetings the duo had last year, the only losses Boydston suffered during her stellar sophomore season.
“It’s good to have that competition,” she said. “It helps a lot.”
OTHER WESTERN KANSAS CROSS COUNTRY STANDOUTS
GIRLS
— Reigning Class 2A state champion Madison Howland from Smith Center clocked a personal-best 18:33.41 to win the TMP-Marian Invitational and also won the Stockton Invitational as the sophomore gears up for her title defense.
– Norton won the Hays High Invitational, led by Emma Collins' second-place finish in 20:04.53. She was followed by teammates by Kaison Miller in third and Savana Rumback in seventh. The Bluejays were runner-up in the 3-2-1A division of the Wamego Invitational, led by a ninth-place effort from Collins. Norton also won the Goodland Invitational this season, paced by Collins’ runner-up showing.
– Two-time reigning Class 1A champion South Gray won their home Invitational. Kyle Stapleton led the way with a runner-up showing, with Jacee Deges (fifth), Jenna Simmons (seventh) and Gwyn Jantz (eighth) also taking top-10 finishes.
– Cimarron’s Janae Fugitt has won both her races so far, capturing the South Gray Invitational (20:38.49) and the Goodland Invitational (20:35.40).
– Garden City’s Cate Wiese won the Hays High Invitational, clocking a 19:47.64.
– Great Bend’s Sienna Smith captured her first cross country win with a 20:33.6 to win the Buhler Invitational.
– Jailyn Brandl won the Greeley County Invitational in 21:28.01 while Goodland took the team title.
BOYS
– Reigning Class 1A boys team champion Quinter’s is in the midst of another strong season. Senior Hans Deaton has been the Bulldogs’ top runner, clocking a 17:40 in the first meet, a 17:43 in Quinter’s home meet to take runner-up, and a 17:44.94 at the Trego Invitational. Kendrik Selensky ran a 17:55 on the Quinter course to take third and finished in the top 10 at TMP-Marian before taking third in the Trego meet. Elliot Churchwell has a season-best of 18:00, placing fifth at Quinter, cracking the top 10 at the TMP meet and taking fourth at Trego. Freshman Carter Pennington has a high ceiling for the Bulldogs, Quinter coach Ed Mense said. He medaled in Quinter’s first three meets with a top time of 18:22. Quinter took second at the TMP-Invitational to Class 2A Hutchinson Trinity before winning the Quinter and Trego meets.
–The Holcomb boys won the Hesston meet for the second straight year. The Longhorns are led by Brody Deniston, who was third at state last year in Class 3A. He won at Hesston with a 16:26.50 and was runner-up in the Great Bend Invitational with a 16:11.17.
– Hoxie’s Michael Haffner has opened his season with three straight first-place finishes, winning meets at Trego (17:06.53), Quinter (17:25.35) and TMP-Marian (17:02.87).
– Garden City’s Trevor Fry is off to a strong start. He won the Hays High Invitational in 16:00.66 and won his division at Hesston with a 16:43.90.
– Lakin won the Greeley County Invitational, led by a 1-2 finish by Austin Ritsema (16:28.76) and Alex Luce (16:54.09). Ritsema also took first in the Goodland Invitational, leading the Broncs to the team title in that meet as well.
– Ness City’s Broxton Gall won the St. John Invitational (17:18.73) and Skyline Invitational (16:43.73).
– Sylvan-Lucas’ Harlan Pancost won the Stockton Invitational in 19:29.23.