KANSAS STATE MEET

Clay Shively Soaks Up Final State Meet With 3A Team Victory; Anjali Hocker-Singh Wins Fourth Consecutive 6A Title; Micah Blomker Win 6A Boys Race For A Second Time

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

Perhaps better known for his speed on the track than the trails, Clay Shively finished his last Kansas state high school cross country championship with a statement.

Saturday at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence, the Wichita Trinity Academy senior led his team to a state title as he won his second straight 3A cross country title, covering the 5,000-meter course in 15 minutes, 48 seconds. 

“It was a very special experience considering the fact this could be the last time I ever run cross country on Kansas soil,” Shively said. 

The victory was memorable for Shively, No. 5 in the latest DyeStat individual national rankings. Fellow senior and teammate Sam Ferguson finished right with him in 15:48.1 as the pair went 1-2, leading Trinity to a third consecutive state title. Trinity finished with four runners in the top 11 on the way to 49 points. 

“Not only winning a title but finishing the race with my teammate Sam,” Shively said of Saturday's win. “With this being my third and final cross country state meet, I tried to take it in as much as possible and be thankful for all the experiences and people that have blessed me and gotten me to where I am today.”

In the 6A girls race, Olathe North’s Anjali Hocker Singh won her fourth consecutive individual title in the fastest time of the day for any female, clocking an impressive 17:30.2. Olathe West repeated as team champions with 45 points. 

Shawnee Mission North’s Micah Blomker finished his final state meet on a high note. After finishing runner-up last year, Blomker won the race by more than 10 seconds in 15:18.2 for his second 6A individual title and led his team to a third-place finish.

Gardner-Edgerton won the team title with 76 points. 

Senior Jackson Esquibel of Shawnee Heights won the 5A boys race in 15:34.5. Blue Valley Southwest had five runners finish in the top 20 to repeat as state champions with 52 points.

Salina Central’s Katelyn Rupe dominated the 5A girls race in 17:36.2. Teammate Kaylie Shultz was second in 17:58.9. St. James Academy finished with 68 points to win the title. 

In the girls 3A race Southeast of Saline continued its dominance, winning the program’s fourth straight state title with 52 points as four runners finished in the top 20, despite a cold and wet conditions. Individually, Emily Hein made it a program sweep as the Trinity Academy sophomore dominated the course in a time of 18:37.9, winning by almost a minute. Second place went to Bree Allen of Prairie View (19:24).

4A, 2A, 1A - Wamego Country Club

The Buhler boys went 5-6-7 and had all five runners in the top 15 to score 31 points and cruise to the 4A title at Wamego Country Club on Saturday. Sophomore Caleb Mueller of McPherson won the race in 15:58.8.

Last fall Eudora’s Sydney Owens and Hannah Keltner finished 2-3. This year the pair did one better - Owens won the race in 18:47.9, and Keltner was runner-up in 18:59.6. Like 2022, they led the team to another state title scoring 57 points. 

The Central Heights boys were paced by junior Cody Hammond’s second place finish (16:04.3) to win the 2A crown. Central placed three in the top seven. 

In girls 2A, Salina-Sacred Heart won the team trophy with 85 points, as freshman Madison Howland of Smith Central easily won the race in 18:38.4. 

The Quinter boys and South Gray girls both repeated as 1A champions. 

Freshman Ellei McCrory of Northern Heights finished first in 18:30.7 in the girls race, while junior Caleb Durst won the boys race in 16:29.9. 

Team Champions

6A: Gardner-Edgerton boys 76 points; Olathe West girls 45 points - RESULTS

5A: Blue Valley Southeast boys 52 points; St. James Academy girls 68 points - RESULTS

4A: Buhler boys 31 points; Eudora girls 57 points - RESULTS

3A: Trinity Academy boys 49 points; Southeast of Saline girls 52 points - RESULTS

2A: Central Height boys 67 points; Salina-Sacred Heart girls 85 points - RESULTS

1A: Quinter boys 55 points; South Gray girls 42 points - RESULTS