The NSAA State Cross Country Championships for both boys and girls will kick off Oct. 20 at 12 p.m, at the Kearney Country Club. Runners from Nebraska’s Class- A, B, C, and D schools will race to hoist the State Championship trophy. Runners from Lincoln Southwest are confident that they can leave an impression on the championship race.

“I think we’ll leave a good impact,” senior Jacob Rinn said. “We’ve been training all season, and we’re a good team together.”

Senior Max Myers and Rinn are just two of the seven runners representing Lincoln Southwest in the boys’ heat. At last year’s race, they finished in second and 29th place. As seniors, they will be running the last race of their high school careers.

“A lot has happened this season. I’ve even hit my personal record,” Myers said. “At the same time, my competition is pretty intense, so I’m trying to keep a good attitude and stay focused going into State.”

Apart from staying mentally strong, runners also motivate each other in order to improve team scores, rather than individual standing. 

“We usually do chants together,” sophomore Silvy Munn said. “We tell each other that we will do well to hype each other up.”

The Silver Hawks finished last season’s championship race in fourth place in the boys’ heat, and seventh in the girls’ heat. The boys will have two returning varsity runners from the last State Meet, while the girls return four of their seven runners from last year’s race. 

Both teams qualified for State by placing in the top three at their district meets. The boys claimed third, led by Myers with a time of 15:26.51. The girls were runner-up behind Lincoln East, and led by freshman Meredith Marsh with a time of 20:05.00.

Boys’ Heat Runners

Max Myers (12)

Connor Boyle (10)

Connor Rowe (11)

Cade Cover (10)

Cole Cover (10)

Jacob Rinn (12)

Noah Smith (11)

Girls’ Heat Runners

Meredith Marsh (9)

Mya Kafka (11)

Silvy Munn (10)

Renee Kafka (12)

Olivia Myers (10)

Izzy Gilbertson (9)

Megan Baugh (11)