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Beshore, Lockhart punch ticket to Class 3 state cross country meet
alli Beshore’s spectacular season continued at Saturday’s Class 3 District 7 cross country meet, as her runner-up performance helped lead the Nevada Lady Tigers to a fifth-place team finish at the 14-school event in Warrensburg. In addition, the Nevada High School boys team placed seventh.
Although Beshore’s streak of six consecutive gold medal finishes was snapped in the varsity girls 5K event, the sophomore phenom still garnered first-team all-district accolades while also qualifying for the upcoming Class 3 state track meet at Oak Hills Golf Course in Jefferson City. Also qualifying for state, was Nevada junior Patience Lockhart, with a 14th-place finish.
“Calli and Patience will need to prepare mentally for the grind that is running the state course,” said NHS cross country coach, Ryan Watts. “Physically, we are very prepared and have run lots of hills this season — specifically to train for the state course; but it is a lot to handle mentally, so we will start discussing the course and game-planning how we want to attack it.”
Watts said he wants to be careful not to overexert Beshore and Lockhart during the week of preparation.
“We’ll be walking a fine line between trying to stay at our peak endurance level, but not over-working and having sore legs come Saturday,” he said.
Watts added that he and his two standout student-athletes will arrive in Jefferson City on the eve of the meet, Friday.
“That’s so we can train on the course and refresh our memories of how it lays out,” noted Watts. “And also to start the process of getting prepared to run such a difficult course, where you are pretty much either going up or down throughout the entirety of the race.”
Continued Watts: “It’s also good to go ahead and get to the state venue to try and get the butterflies out early, as it is a daunting task knowing you will be facing off against the fastest girls in the state — unlike most meets where you have a variety of talent levels. At state, everyone is fast. So come Saturday, we will be competing against the best the state of Missouri has to offer.”
Beshore is two for two in qualifying for the state meet, as she made the trip last year as a freshman. Watts added that he was impressed with Beshore’s performance at the district meet.
“Calli ran a great race,” said Watts, as Beshore clocked a time of 20-minutes flat. “We knew that she had her work cut out for her, as it was going to come down to her against (Bolivar’s) Kelie Henderson.”
Henderson, who placed runner-up at the 2016 Class 3 state meet, won Saturday’s race, while leading Bolivar to the district crown.
“(Henderson) has the fastest (girls) time in the state this year,” said Watts. “Calli attacked her throughout the race and, they pushed each other — in what was a hard-fought battle.”
Watts said the cold conditions made Saturday’s meet that much tougher.
“While Calli finished second, she ran a very strong race in difficult conditions,” he said.
Watts said this was a good test for Beshore, who has overwhelmed the competition the previous six times out.
“She won those races with little pressure,” he said. “So we were pleased she had to race someone head-to-head prior to going to state. It would have been difficult to have to adjust to that for the first time in two months at the state meet, so it was good to get it out of the way at districts.”
Watts said he was thrilled with Lockhart’s performance as well. Just prior to the race, Watts said he reminded Lockhart that she had to give it her all, as she needed a top 15 finish to qualify for state.
“With about a mile to go she was right on the edge of qualifying, in around 17th-place,” recounted Watts. “We knew she had some work to do, but she buckled down and ran down three girls to get in the 14th spot to qualify.”
Watts said Lockhart’s late surge required a lot of stamina.
“Once she had that (top 15 position) she wasn’t giving it up, and spent the rest of the race fighting off other runners trying to get ahead of her,” he Watts. “She worked hard and held off their efforts.”
Lady Tiger results
• Calli Beshore, second-place, first-team all-district, state-qualifier; Patience Lockhart, 14th-place, state-qualifier; Amara Pippin, 29th; Heaven Farmer, 47th; Zoie Farmer, 48th; Haleigh Leisure, 51st; Katelyn Dunfield, 52nd.
NHS boys results
• Devin McHugh, 30th; Will Johnson, 33rd; Luke Sudkamp, 43rd; Trent Elli, 53rd; Jayden Ast, 55th; Colson Fisher, 69th; Charles Morton, 74th.
“Devin ran his personal best time ever, as the longer straights allowed for him to open up his long stride, as opposed to the turn-filled finish the course had last year,” said Watts.
Frigid conditions
The conditions for Saturday’s race were near-freezing, hovering in the low 30s.
“While we were familiar with the course, we were not familiar with the conditions,” said Watts. “After a long and hot cross country season, running in 32 and 33 degree temperatures added a new challenge we hadn’t faced this year.”
Watts said he implored his squad to stay warm for as long as possible leading up to the district race.
“We knew that we would be fine once we started running and, didn’t want to try and run in attire we were not used to running in,” he said. “What was concerning was staying warm prior to the race, so we layered up our sweats and warmed up, and then cycled on and off the bus to try and keep warm.”
Added Watts: “Once the race started the cold wasn’t an issue for the runners bodies, as they warm up quickly when you are running that fast. We didn’t want to overheat by wearing lots of layers, which happened to some runners from others schools; but the cold air did make it very hard to breath.”
Watts further described what it’s like running a 5K in the ice cold elements.
“The sharp air burns your lungs and, your nose starts running, so you are breathing entirely through your mouth,” explained Watts. “The first mile or so you are really just trying to adjust to that.”
Watts said that hill-work had prepared his squad for certain aspects of the race, but added that “it’s impossible to simulate cold, and it was frigid.”
“You work all season to try and run your best time of the year at districts, but some times mother nature doesn’t cooperate,” he said. “Using the eye test, I feel confident saying that we ran our best race of the season and didn’t let the elements hold us back. In a sport that’s a reflection of ones mental toughness, it’s a testament to these athletes that they didn’t let the weather psyche them out and, still went out and attacked the race.”
Watts said he couldn’t be more pleased with his squad’s performance this season.
“I thought overall we had a fantastic season,” he said. “The entire team bought into the program and what we were trying to accomplish.”
Watts noted that his student-athletes began training for the 2017 campaign back in May.
“It has been a long season, but it feels like it flew by,” he said. “Everyone got faster throughout the year and improved as runners, which in the end is the goal from a physical improvement standpoint.
“We also faced challenges and adversity — from tough workouts to tough courses, to extreme heat, to extreme cold — and we learned to deal with it, which is one of the many great life lessons that cross country provides.”
Continued Watts: “We saw new runners step up and make huge impacts for the team; we saw experienced runners get better and start to take leadership roles and really start to understand what it takes to be great distance runners.”
Watts said many of his freshman, sophomore and juniors are already excited about the prospects of next season.
“Will Johnson, who was a first-time runner this year and totally committed himself to cross country, got a hold of me the day after districts to let me know he ran seven miles — and how fast he did it, already preparing for next season,” said an elated Watts.
“It takes a huge effort and, you have to be supremely dedicated to this sport to see success,” said Watts. “We have kids that are willing to do that, and I think it was a great season that has laid the foundation for the Nevada cross country team to continue having success for years to come.”