Staff writer
Goessel girls’ cross-country team finished sixth at the state meet Saturday at Wamego Country Club.
Temperatures had warmed by the 1 p.m. start, and the 1A girls tackled the hilly course.
Sophomore Julia Nightengale completed the 5-K race in her fastest time of the season, at 23 minutes, 15 seconds. She missed an individual medal by two spots but led the team by placing 22nd. Jennifer Meysing came in 35th with a time of 24:21, and Lauren Rymill was three seconds behind in 36th place, just edging out two runners who were one second behind. Saskia Clostermeyer also ran her fastest time of the season, 25:18, to finish 47th. Edel Miller completed the course in 27:45, Maddie Meier finished in 29:19, and Sarah Wagner rounded out the team results with a time of 31:11. Seventy seven girls completed the course.
“Several of our girls have run this course before, and that helped significantly in our preparation,” coach Brian Lightner said.
None of the Goessel girls are seniors, so the expectation is that all except exchange students will return next year.
Freddie Scheffe led the boys to a 10th-place team finish with a time of 19:30, capturing 36th place. Devon LeRoy ran the hills in 19:57, finishing 47th, and Zach Wiens placed 50th with a time of 20:03. Nathan Impson completed the course in 23:58.36 and Leighton Wagner crossed the finish line in 25:12.53.
“At the beginning of the season, we didn’t even have enough boys for a team, so to represent our school at this level is a high achievement,” Lightner said.
This was the last high school cross-country race for Goessel seniors Wiens and Wagner.