The Kansas State men’s and women’s cross country teams are starting to lock in, as the first race of the year is approaching. The first race is Friday, Sept. 5, in Ashland, Neb. The race will be held at Eugene T. Mahoney Park as the Wildcats kick off the year in the Platte River Rumble.
K-State senior Grace Meyers is back, following a first-place finish for the ‘Cats in the Midwest Regional last season. Meyers finished in 50th place, also boasting a 20:55.3 in the 6K. Meyers is joined by two other seniors on the team, Cecillia Fisher and Alexa Rios.
Last year, Rios competed in the regional and put up a personal best of 22:46.1 in the competition. Aside from the seniors, sophomore Christine Jerono finished 89th at last year’s regionals with a time of 21:25.0.
“This is probably the most close-knit team I’ve had since being at K-State,” Meyers said. “Everyone comes to practice, and they work hard, but they know how to have fun too.”
The Wildcats have been preparing since early August for the first race. Something Meyers highlights about preparation with head coach Kate Bucknam is the importance of routine.
“We aren’t trying to be fancy with anything, doing our normal workouts, lifts, mileage,” Meyers said.
Coach Bucknam helmed the cross country team for a little over a year. She views the team as a melting pot, a blend of younger and older athletes on her squad, which she considers a positive quality of the team.
“We have a great mixture of vets and newcomers this season,” Bucknam said. “Our men’s team is pretty young, so that exposure and match-ups with regional and nationally ranked teams are going to be good tests for us and ultimately prime us for November.”
The returners for the men’s team include junior Jacob Norris and sophomores Jackson Esquibel and Brock Olson. Esquibel comes into this year following an 89th-place finish in the 10k as a freshman last season. Norris also competed in the 10K, with a time of 31:37.7.
Both teams look poised to get running, using the experience of the veterans and the talent of the newcomers as the first step toward a hopeful season.
