Contributors: The Nerd team
This is our fifth of eight previews of the 2024 Nebraska high school cross country season. While we have connected with some coaches, keep in mind that we may not know about injuries, transfers, lack of summer training, bad break-ups or anything else that might impact athletes this season. If we didn't highlight your athlete, it's not out of spite; it's takes a lot of research to write eight articles and at some point we just got tired. If we've made an error, please DM us or e-mail jayslagle@hotmail.com and we'll get it corrected.
A whopping two Class B girls medalists graduated in May – Ellie Thomas and Kassidy Stuckey – so this field is going to be incredibly competitive. It reminds us of the Class B 400 State competition (the Monster 400) when nine girls ran under 58 seconds. With few exceptions the top girls from 2023 XC ran well during track season, so be prepared for a faster and deeper field than last fall.
Top returners from 2023 State meet with current grade listed:
1, Kendall Zavala, 12, Norris, 19:03.3
2, Ella Ford, 12, Elkhorn North, 19:18.0
5, Mallory Robbins, 10, Plattsmouth, 19:45.5
6, Leah Robinson, 10, Elkhorn North, 19:50.3
7, Atlee Wallman, 12, Norris, 19:50.9
8, Sophia Reynolds, 10, Hastings, 19:52.8
9, Annah Perdue, 10, York, 19:56.6
10, Hailley Finkner, 12, Norris, 19:59.9
11, Tessa Greisen, 12, Seward, 20:01.3
12, Margaret Lickteig, 12, Omaha Duchesne, 20:07.4
13, Kennedy Powell, 11, Norris, 20:07.8
14, Tanna Petsche, 12, Norris, 20:11.0
15, Cecilia Kramper, 10, Omaha Duchesne, 20:11.7
*20, Malia Woosley, 10, Lincoln Pius, 20:16.1 (Class A in 2023)
17, Kailey O'Brien, 12, Elkhorn North, 20:18.7
18, Paityn Christoffels, 11, Elkhorn North, 20:21.0
19, Avery Melendrez, 12, Elkhorn North, 20:27.4
20, Naomi Renner, 11, York, 20:27.5
21, Xiomara Lagunas, 10, Hastings, 20:27.8
22, Claire Miller, 10, Bennington, 20:32.1
*4, Lydia Stewart, 12, Platteview, 20:32.6 (Class C in 2023)
23, Lucille Lampe, 10, Bennington, 20:34.0
24, Anna Ripley, 12, Elkhorn North, 20:38.1
26, Skye Tabke, 10, Lincoln Northwest, 20:40.9
29, Morgan Iske, 12, Bennington, 20:56.6
30, Gabriella Westfall, 12, Omaha Skutt, 21:00.7
31, Addison Washburn, 10, Elkhorn, 21:01.1
*42, Jasmin Solano, 11, Lincoln Pius, 21:03.3 (Class A in 2023)
32, Lillian Dall, 12, Bennington, 21:06.6
*9, Emma Cappel, 11, McCook, 21:12.1 (Class C in 2023)
33, Olivia Chapman, 12, Northwest, 21:14.1
*47, Abigail Dickinson, 11, Lincoln Pius, 21:21.9 (Class A in 2023)
*13, Brooklyn Kermmoade, 10, Platteview, 21:33.0 (Class C in 2023)
38, Catherine Youell, 12, Omaha Skutt, 21:36.2
39, Jadeyn Wickwire, 12, Blair, 21:40.0
41, Alexis Hiatt, 12, Bennington, 21:44.2
44, Kathryn Roberts, 10, Elkhorn, 21:49.5
45, Eleanor Richard, 10, Omaha Duchesne, 21:49.6
46, Hannah Rugroden, 12, Scottsbluff, 21:58.0
47, Demi Seelhoff, 11, Gering, 21:59.7
48, Lillie Benes, 12, Waverly, 22:03.4
50, Evynn Graver, 11, Gretna East, 22:07.3
Due to NSAA reclassifications, Lincoln Pius and Gretna have dropped from Class A to Class B, while South Sioux City is moving up from Class B to Class A. In addition, Alliance, McCook, Mount Michael, Omaha Gross and Platteview move up from Class C to Class B.
For Class B and C, varsity squads consist of six runners with the top four finishers count towards the team total.
Top teams in 2023:
1. Norris, 21 points (5 of 6 2023 State runners return)
2. Elkhorn North, 41 points (6)
3. York, 62 points (3)
4. Bennington, 97 points (5)
5. Duchesne, 105 points (6)
If you were tired of the Norris girls dominating Class B competition, you might want to look away. While Elkhorn North, Duchesne and Bennington will all make a run at the title, Norris returns five girls from the team that won last year with just 21 points. Returning champ Kendall Zavala (below) is finally a senior (hasn’t she been medaling for six or seven years?) and comes off two 3rd-place finishes at Burke (5:07 and 11:01) plus two relay medals. Atlee Wallman ran PRs of 5:21 and 11:12 in the spring, placing 6th in the 3200. Hailey Finkner ran 61.79 and 2:21 on the track, Kennedy Powell ran 2:31 and 11:40, and Tanna Petsche ran PRs of 2:22 and 5:34. Norris has many options as they look to fill out their top six, including sophomore Lydia Dominy, who ran a few varsity races last fall as a freshman and turned in a 2:24 on the track.
Elkhorn North returns all six girls from last year’s runner-up squad. Ella Ford (below) of Elkhorn North will battle Zavala and others for the top spot. She posted PRs of 2:20, 4:08 and 11:04 last spring, including a leg on the State record 4x800 team. Leah Robinson delivered a series of clutch performances during her freshman year, with so much talent that she could have legitimately qualified for the State meet in the 400 through 3200. She posted PRs of 57.5 (8th in Monster 400) and 2:15 (4th), was a leg on that 4x800 team, and ran 5:21 in her only 1600 race. Kailey O’Brien battled low iron levels during track but still posted PRs of 5:26 and 11:52; Paityn Christoffels ran 2:32 and 5:38; Avery Melendrez set PRs of 2:37, 5:37 and 11:44; Anna Ripley had PRs of 2:32, 5:19 and 11:52.
I watched Mallory Robbins’ high school XC debut and she faded badly in her first stab at the 5k distance. However, Mallory (#162 below) quickly improved her race strategy and had an incredible season capped by a 5th-place finish at State. She ran almost as well during track season, setting PRs of 5:21 and 11:38 at the State meet.
Sophia Reynolds (#231 below) was not on our radar at the start of the 2023 XC season but she had quite a freshman year. She quickly moved into the XC rankings and was one of Nebraska’s best middle-distance runners during track. She ran 57.54 at State to medal in the Monster 400, finished 3rd in the 800 in 2:12, ran a 2:13 split on the 5th-place 4x800 team, and ran 5:21 in two midseason attempts in the 1600. Hastings returns four of six girls from their 6th-place team, including sophomore 21st-place Xiomara Laguna. Mylee Mick, who finished 58th last fall, had PRs of 2:32 and 5:57 this spring.
York graduated Kassidy Stuckey but returns top-20 finishers Annah Perdue (#278 below) and Naomi Renner. Perdue capped off her freshman season with State medals in the 1600 (5:13) and 3200 (11:06). Renner ran PRs of 2:43, 5:44 and 12:01 this past spring. The Dukes also return Emory Conrad (2:37, 5:49) and Allie Holmes from their 2023 3rd-place team.
Omaha Duchesne features the state’s loudest JV team and quite a few talented returners. Maggie Lickteig (#249 below) earmed 11th and 12th place medal the past two years and PR’d in 2:33, 5:42 and 12:11 during a track season shortened by injury. She rehabbed in Australia for a month this summer (or maybe it was just Duchensne’s exchange program) and will hopefully come back strong. Her teammate Cece Kramper battled nagging injuries last fall before placing 15th, and then had a healthier spring to PR in 5:22 (12th) and 11:26 (9th) at the State meet. Duchesne returns all six girls from their 5th place team, including Corinne Mansour (2:32, 5:38). Eleanor Richard, Clara Galvan (2:34, 5:52) and Josie Thalken.
Tessa Greisen (#272 below) of Seward has been consistent the past two years, finishing 13th and 11th at the State XC meet. She also has three 3200 State medals and posted PRs of 2:25, 5:18 and 11:25 last spring. Seward did not qualify as a team last year but it’s a solid program that will soon return to form.
One top athlete not listed as a top-50 returner is Waverly’s Emma Steffensen. Emma was injured for most of the 2023 cross country season, miraculously finished 14th at Districts in her second race of the season, and then DNF’d at State. She bounced back in the spring to finish 6th in the Monster 400 (57.40), 2nd in the 800 (2:11), 2nd in the 4x400 and 3rd in the 4x800 (2:15 split). Emma finished 3rd at 2022 State XC as a freshman so look for big things in her junior year. Emma’s senior teammate Lillie Benes is a great training partner, and Lillie posted PRs of 2:27 (relay split), 5:30 and 11:55 at the State meet.
Bennington finished 4th last year despite having no medalists. They did have five athletes place between 22nd and 41st, and five of their six girls return this fall. Their top two returners – Claire Miller (#202 below) and Lucy Lampe (#201 below) – appeared to play another sport in the spring. Morgan Iske ran 5:50 and 12:33 during track season while their 6th finisher – Alexis Hiatt (#199 below) finished collected three medals at State but not in the events you’d expect from a cross country runner. She finished 3rd in the Monster 400 (56.81), 4th in the 200 (25.69), 5th in the 100 (12.47) and 3rd in the 4x400. In her one 4x800 relay last spring, she ran a 2:32 split. Bennington also has a strong junior high program so look for a few freshmen to fight for varsity spots.
While NSAA reclassifications don’t impact the Class B girls’ team race as much as the boys, there are four interesting runners who could fight for a medal. Platteview returns to Class B with 2023 Class C medalists, Lydia Stewart (#463 below) and Brooklyn Kermmoade. Lydia set PRs of 2:27, 5:23 and 11:38 during the track season while Brooklyn ran 5:39 and 12:36. Brooklyn ran much better during the fall, so she will be a medal threat if she’s healthy. 2023 medalist Emma Cappel of McCook leads the Bison into Class B; Emma ran 2:31 and 5:28 in the spring. Finally, as we expand on below, Malia Woosley of Pius is the 14th-fastest returner among girls competing in Class B this fall.
Other returners/notes:
· Lincoln Northwest and Lincoln Standing Bear are young programs with strong coaches, so look for those teams to become more competitive this season. Lincoln Northwest qualified as a team in 2023 while Hannah Zimmerlee was an individual qualifier for Standing Bear.
· Gabi Westfall is the top returner for a Skutt team that has depth and developing talent. Gabi ran PRs of 2:30, 5:22 and 11:36 during the spring and Catherine Youell had PRs of 5:43 and 12:19. All of Skutt’s sophomores return and they should have their largest freshman squad in years, so the team should be competitive over the next two or three years.
· Northwest’s Olivia Chapman is the daughter of Nerd Convert, so we might not-so-secretly be cheering for her to do well.
· Addison Washburn of Elkhorn returns from a solid freshman season that saw her ranked two different weeks, finish 31st at State XC, and qualify for State in the 1600 (5:28), 3200 (11:50) and 4x800 (4th in 9:37). Fellow sophomore Kathryn Roberts ran 2:26 and 5:18 during the season, and she split 2:25 on the State 4x800 team. Look for those two to do big things this fall.
· Lincoln Pius returns three girls who finished in the top 50 at the 2023 State meet. Those three girls - Malia Woosley, Jasmin Solano and Abby Dickinson - don't appear to run track, so we're a bit in the dark on how fit they'll be this season. If they are on point and add a few other key players, they could easily be in the hunt for a top-five team finish.
· Let’s not forget about Evynn Graver (#225 below) of Gretna East. She finished 50th in 2023 and may not be a medal favorite, but she often writes about my dog (“Bruce Got Me Here”) on her legs for races so she’s a Nerd favorite.
Way-Too-Early team predictions:
Nerd Senior: Norris, Elkhorn North, Omaha Duchesne
Nerd Junior: Norris, Duchesne, Elkhorn North
Nerd the Third: Elkhorn North, Norris, Omaha Duchesne
******
First published at www.preprunningnerd.com by Jay Slagle on August 24, 2024. If you find an error, shoot us an e-mail at jayslagle@hotmail.com and we'll get it fixed.
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