Contributors: The Nerd team
This is our third 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.
The Class C girls return just eight medalists from 2023 due to graduation, reclassifications and a transfer. With so many open spots and a potentially strong freshman class, this may offer the most surprises in October.
Top returners from 2023 State meet:
2, Lilly Kenning, 12, Milford, 20:01.5 (Xfer to Class A Lincoln SW)
4, Lydia Stewart, 12, Platteview, 20:32.6 (to Class B)
5, Liston Crotty, 11, Auburn, 20:41.1
6, Jaelyn Witter, 10, Kearney Catholic, 20:50.4
7, Hailey O'Daniel, 12, Arlington, 20:59.2
8, Raeann Massey, 10, Fort Calhoun, 21:05.7
*8, Sawyer Benne, 12, Lincoln Lutheran, 21:06.3 (Class D in 2023)
9, Emma Cappel, 11, McCook, 21:12.1 (to Class B)
10, Elle Badstieber, 11, Columbus Lakeview, 21:13.7
11, Hailey Hengtgen, 11, Palmyra, 21:16.7
13, Brooklyn Kermmoade, 10, Platteview, 21:33.0 (to Class B)
14, Emma Williams, 10, North Bend Central, 21:33.4
15, Emilyn Kavan, 10, Scotus Central, 21:41.6
16, Alexa Warner, 10, Minden, 21:43.5
17, Ashlyn Schauda, 10, Broken Bow, 21:51.5
18, Ellie Warford, 10, Wahoo, 21:54.9
20, Kylee Kampfe, 10, Sidney, 22:02.7
21, Adeline Pinkston, 10, Gothenburg, 22:02.8
22, Jentsyn Fuller, 11, Chadron, 22:05.2
24, Aadison Bellamy, 11, Kearney Catholic, 22:20.9
25, Ava Noecker, 12, Hartington, 22:23.1
26, Zoey Smith, 11, Ashland-Greenwood, 22:25.1
27, Ella Eggleston, 11, Aurora, 22:27.8
28, Faith Jipp, 11, Omaha Concordia, 22:29.8
29, Lillie Uhing, 10, Chadron, 22:33.2
30, Claire Rolfes, 12, Hartington, 22:35.3
31, Kristen Billings, 10, Auburn, 22:36.8
33, Erin Chambers, 12, Palmyra, 22:39.4
34, Kiarra Jonas, 10, Gothenburg, 22:39.8
35, Alexis Ericksen, 11, Aurora, 22:41.8
36, Tayla Jones, 10, Auburn, 22:42.5
37, Maya Moxley, 12, Kearney Catholic, 22:42.8
38, Addison Strong, 11, Douglas County West, 22:45.5
40, Ava Grimm, 12, Douglas County West, 22:46.2
41, Hadley McGowen, 12, Kearney Catholic, 22:47.4
43, Tressa Bigbear, 12, Winnebago, 22:51.0
44, Kimberly Pena, 10, West Point-Beemer, 22:54.4
45, Aleah Thomas, 12, Auburn, 22:54.6
46, Ava Elliott, 12, Wayne, 22:54.9
47, Aaralyn Dunlap, 10, Wahoo, 22:55.0
49, Catherine Lehn, 11, Adams Central, 22:56.9
50, Alivia Thomas, 12, Auburn, 22:58.2
*44, Madison Vanlaningham, 11, JCC, 23:15.4 (Class D in 2023)
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. Kearney Catholic, 76 points (6 of 6 2023 State runners return)
2. Auburn, 80 points (6)
3. Lincoln Christian, 88 points (3)
4. Platteview, 88 (Moved to Class B in 2024)
5. Columbus Scotus, 99 points (5)
6. Douglas County West, 119 points (4)
Liston Crotty of Auburn and Jaelyn Witter of Kearney Catholic are the top two returners. Liston has placed 6th and 5th in her first two State meets; this past spring she focused primarily on the 800, setting a PR of 2:24. Auburn returns all six competitors from the 2023 meet, including Kristen Billings (2:41, 5:48, 12:45 in spring), Tayla Jones (hurdler), Aleah Thomas (2:37), Alivia Thomas and Lilyan Becker. All but Tayla Jones have been on Auburn’s 2022 and 2023 runner-up teams.
Jaelyn Witter had a strong freshman season, finishing the spring with PRs of 5:32 and 11:57. Kearney Catholic improved from 15th in 2022 to 1st in 2023, and they return all six girls in 2024. During the spring Aadison Bellamy ran 2:38 and 5:57, Ava Watts ran 6:10 and 12:51, and three other returners competed in other sports.
The Nerd team fully expected Columbus Scotus to win the 2023 title but the heat said otherwise. We covered Hannah Heinrich’s heat-related disappointment (she finished 79th) in the article “Drop Your Shield” after being ranked 7th entering State, but don’t count out the Shamrocks this fall. While they graduated top finisher Mary Faltys, they return five others including medalist Emily Kavan. We don’t have a read on the team’s fitness levels since most of the top girls play soccer in the spring, but Scotus should battle for the team title if they return their top girls. Someone close to the program tells us to also watch out for freshman Avery Heinrich, who ran 2:39 and 5:37 last spring.
Hailey O’Daniel of Arlington may have the most momentum of the returning medalists after she won the Class C 1600 in a six-second PR of 5:14 and finished 2nd in the 800 with a 2:17 PR. If we issue pre-season rankings, she would be slotted in the top spot. Arlington has had some very strong junior high teams the last few seasons that might get them back to State after a one-year absence. Keeli Green of Arlington won the Class C title in 2021 and 2022 so don’t be surprised if the title ends up in Arlington again.
Raeann Massey (#407 above) and Maelie Nelson lead a Fort Calhoun team that returns all six competitors from its 14th-place finish in 2023. The squad saw mixed results during the track season, but the team’s success at Junior High State in previous years suggests that they have the talent to be competitive.
Elle Badstieber of Columbus Lakeview was one of the biggest surprises last fall. She was never ranked during the season so her 10th-place finish was impressive. She ran 60.36 and 2:22 during the spring and should be a strong contender this fall. If I recall correctly, 2023 was the first time that Columbus Lakeview’s girls team had qualified for State, and they return three girls from that squad.
In contrast to Badstieber, Hailey Hengtgen of Palmyra was ranked for most of the 2023 season before finishing 11th. She did not have any track results after April 9th. Hailey had hip surgery early this summer and the current plan is for her return to racing in mid-season. Her teammate Erin Chambers ran 2:34 and 5:47 in the spring.
The performances of Emma Williams of North Bend Central didn’t register with me until I looked at her athletic.net profile. After finishing 14th at State XC, she nabbed three State T&F medals – the 1600 (5:28, 6th), the 3200 (12:14, 5th) and the 4x400 (6th). She also has a 8’6” pole vault PR, so look for her to show off her athleticism this fall.
Other runners and teams to watch this fall:
Sawyer Benne of Lincoln Lutheran joins the Class C chat after this year’s reclassifications. Her 8th-place time in Class D in 2023 would have put her right around 8th in Class C, so she will be competitive. Sawyer had PRs of 2:30, 5:33 and 12:46 last spring.
Alexa Warner of Minden finished 16th as a freshman last fall, and she should be joined by a solid freshman team. Selena Sharkey, Evie Sharkey and Aclynn Osterbuhr were part of the Minden team that placed 2nd at the Junior High State XC meet.
Speaking of the Junior High State XC meet, Scout Bell of Gothenburg won both the 2022 and 2023 titles. Scout ran PRs of 2:29 and 5:33 during track season. She’ll be joined on the high school team by Adalyn Carlson, who finished 21st at the JH State meet last fall. Adalyn ran 63.08 and 2:25 during the spring. Gothenburg did not qualify as a team for the 2023 State meet, but Bell and Carlson join 2023 qualifiers Adeline Pinkston and Kiarra Jonas. Adeline is a junior who finished 21st in 2023 before running 2:38 and 5:58 in the spring while Kiarra ran PRs of 2:41 and 6:01.
Of all the teams I ran into last fall, the Wahoo girls team seemed to be having the most fun. Ellie Warford had a great freshman campaign, finishing 21st in XC and then running 2:39 and 5:47 during track. Wahoo finished 12th last year and returns five of six girls.
Zoey Smith of Ashland Greenwood finished 26th in 2023 and followed up with solid PRs of 2:38, 5:41 and 12:13 during the spring.
Ella Eggleston (#377 above) of Aurora was a workhorse during the winter indoor season, and she ran 5:38 during track season. Kendal Wineteer of Aurora was one of a number of top-notch runners who DNF’d in the heat of the 2023 XC meet; she was ranked in six of eight weeks last fall. She ran 2:23 this spring.
Addison Strong (#405) and Ava Grimm (#401) of Douglas County West ran 5:42 and 5:45, respectively, during track season.
Adams Central finished 6th at the Junior High State XC meet led by 8th graders Lex Rogers (15th), June Lehn (24th) and Juliana Lehn (58th). While Catherine Lehn is the only Adams Central returner from the 2023 State meet, it would be interesting to see if a team with three Lehn’s could qualify this fall.
Way-Too-Early team predictions:
Nerd Senior: Columbus Scotus, Auburn, Kearney Catholic
Nerd Junior: Kearney Catholic, Auburn, Gothenburg
Nerd the Third: Auburn, Kearney Catholic, Lincoln Christian
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First published at www.preprunningnerd.com by Jay Slagle on August 22, 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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Finally, if you think runners, jumpers and throwers are the best things on earth, you'll enjoy our two most popular articles. In 2018 we published "The Runner with the Broken Heart" about a high school boy who finished last in nearly every race he ran. In 2022 we published, "The Fall and Rise of Emmett Hassenstab," a story about a high school triple jumper who became a quadrapalegic after a swimming accident.