COLUMBIA, Mo. — Several area athletes finished in the top 30 at the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) State Cross Country Championships last week. Multiple area teams also brought home top-15 finishes.
In the Class 1 girls race, Taryn Ficken of Meadville was the highest area finisher with an eighth-place run. Amaya Shafer of St. Paul Lutheran of Concordia finished 10th, Gabrielle Jacobs of Brunswick placed 27th, and North Shelby’s Kellyn Hinshaw finished 28th out of 171 runners.
On the team level in Class 1 girls, Glasgow finished sixth, Paris placed eighth, and Polo finished 11th.
In the Class 1 boys race, Landon Harper of the North Carroll Knights (Hale with Tina-Avalon) was the highest area finisher with a seventh-place run. Avery Barnes of Kingsville finished 12th, North Carroll’s Conway Hoerr placed 15th, Derek Merriot of Kingsville finished 18th, North Shelby’s Domenic Williams placed 23rd, and Lucas Crews of Polo finished 27th out of 170 runners.
In the Class 1 boys team competition, Kingsville captured the state championship, while the North Carroll Knights finished 13th.
For the third consecutive year, Addison Smith of Lexington won the Class 2 girls state championship. Her teammates also turned in impressive performances, with Phoebe Engelbrecht finishing third and Elle Lichte placing fourth. Jacqueline Stidham of Harrisburg finished sixth, Tenley Pessetto of Lafayette County (Higginsville) placed eighth, and Samentha Koper of South Shelby finished 25th. The Class 2 girls race featured 166 competitors.
In team competition, Lexington captured another state championship. Lafayette County of Higginsville finished third, while Adrian placed sixth.
In the Class 2 boys race, Reece Sickler of Westran (Huntsville) finished fifth, Liam Betts of Fayette placed 13th, Carrollton’s Carter Barlow finished 21st, and Westran’s Luca Smith placed 24th out of 168 runners.
In the Class 2 boys team competition, West Platte finished third and North Platte placed eighth.
In Class 3 girls, Katelynn Asbury of Centralia finished seventh, Natalie Doney of Odessa placed ninth, Cara Howen of Moberly finished 21st, Magdalena Wax of Boonville placed 24th, and Charlie Miller of Knob Noster finished 25th out of 172 runners.
In the Class 3 girls team competition, Knob Noster finished third, while Moberly placed 11th.
In the Class 3 boys race, Centralia’s Nolan Spickert captured the state championship, while his teammate Jensen Decker finished 10th. The race featured 167 runners.
In the Class 3 boys team competition, Chillicothe finished 14th.
The state meet capped another successful cross country season for area schools, with several athletes earning top-30 finishes and multiple teams finishing among the state’s best. Area runners represented their schools well on the state’s biggest stage, highlighted by individual state championships from Lexington’s Addison Smith and Centralia’s Nolan Spickert, along with team titles for Kingsville and Lexington.
