LAWRENCE, Kan. — The Hesston girls cross country team captured the Class 3A state championship Saturday at Rim Rock Farm, leading the area performances at the Kansas State High School Activities Association State Cross Country Championships.
The Swathers finished with 69 points, defeating runner-up Southeast of Saline, which scored 84.
Hesston placed four runners among the top 20 in the girls race, while Haven's Isaiah Doherty, Newton's Maggie Kepley and several other area athletes delivered strong individual performances in the Class 3A and 5A competitions.
Class 3A: Hesston claims state championship
Hesston senior Reese Quinn and junior Avery Larson led the Swathers with fifth- and sixth-place finishes, respectively, in the girls 5,000-meter race.
Quinn finished in 19 minutes, 37.14 seconds, while Larson crossed in 19:40.99.
Junior Josie Heinrichs placed 16th in 20:32.28, and senior Mary O'Halloran finished 20th in 20:41.68.
Freshman Jenny Roth rounded out Hesston's five scoring runners with a 50th-place finish in 21:58.44.
Sophomore Brenley Schmidt added a 52nd-place finish in 22:01.99, while freshman Indrayani Patwardhan placed 77th in 23:12.02.
The Swathers averaged 20:30 among their five scoring runners and finished 15 points ahead of Southeast of Saline. Cheney took third with 139 points.
Wichita Trinity Academy sophomore Tylee Coleman won the girls individual championship in 18:40.31.
In the boys competition, Haven senior Isaiah Doherty finished eighth overall in 16:32.43.
Hesston freshman Grant Pearce placed 20th in 17:03.87, while sophomore Tyler Fast followed in 22nd with a time of 17:10.12.
Nickerson junior Aiden Brinkley finished 35th in 17:27.39, giving the Panthers a state meet representative.
Lyons sophomore Aaron Villasenor also competed, finishing 43rd in 17:45.09.
Riley County senior Jeter Adams claimed the individual championship in 15:58.85, while Wichita Trinity Academy won the boys team title with 41 points.
Class 5A: Newton girls finish ninth
Newton finished ninth in the Class 5A girls team standings with 202 points, led by sophomore Maggie Kepley, who placed eighth individually in 19:21.83.
Senior Brooklyn Treaster added a 21st-place finish in 19:53.11, giving the Railers two runners among the top 25.
Sophomore Brooklyn Fast finished 65th in 21:26.64, followed by senior Caroline Rickard in 67th at 21:29.64.
Junior Michelle Bungard completed Newton's five scoring runners with a 79th-place finish in 22:45.90.
Sophomore Yaretzy Lopez placed 88th in 23:28.52, while sophomore Kaia Stucky finished 91st in 26:55.17.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel junior Ava Claassen won the individual girls state championship in 16:59.16.
St. Thomas Aquinas captured the girls team title with 69 points, followed by St. James Academy with 86 and Bishop Carroll with 96.
In the boys competition, Hutchinson sophomore Cristian Medina represented the Salthawks, finishing 57th overall in 17:31.66.
Blue Valley Southwest junior Andrew Claar won the boys individual championship in 15:45.01, helping his team claim the state title with 53 points.
De Soto finished second with 58 points, followed by St. James Academy with 87.
Hesston's team championship highlighted the area showing at Rim Rock Farm, which also included top-10 individual finishes from Doherty and Kepley, along with state appearances by runners from Hutchinson, Newton, Nickerson and Lyons.