Staff writer
The Marion High School boys cross-country team finished third Thursday at the Heart of America League meet at Remington.
Sophomore Jordan Hett was the first to cross the finish line, placing third with a time of 18 minutes, 8 seconds. He was in second for the majority of the race but was passed on the final straight-line stretch to the finish.
Fellow sophomore Patrick McCarty tied his best finish of the season; he placed sixth with a time of 18:45. Coach Bethany Carlson said McCarty was averaging a time only a minute slower than Hett.
“He’s closing that gap,” she said.
McCarty’s running strategy this season has been to start the race fast. In the middle of the race, he slows down, preparing to sprint to the finish. McCarty kicked earlier on Thursday, leading to his high placement.
“You want to be completely out of gas at the end,” Carlson said.
Senior Michael Kirkpatrick and sophomore Jacob Cope also won medals at the league meet. Kirkpatrick finished 12th, 19:18, and Cope 14th, 19:39.
Sophomore Elizabeth Goentzel was the highest female finisher, placing fourth with a time of 18:11. It was her best finish of the season.
Goentzel’s goal at the beginning of the year was to medal at every meet. She has achieved that goal heading into regionals Saturday in Wichita.
“I think I’ve gotten a little bit stronger,” Goentzel said.
She has battled exercise-induced asthma this year and has steadily improved as the year has progressed.
Goentzel fell in love with running as a seventh-grader during middle school track season. She started running cross-country her eighth grade year and prefers the 4-kilometer race to 1600 and 3200-meter runs.
“Running is just one of my favorite things to do,” she said. “It relaxes me.”
It was just this past summer, after a bout with bronchitis, when the asthma appeared; she was coughing uncontrollably during runs. The heat and humidity during summer training in July compounded the problem.
Goentzel would not let the condition stop her from competing in cross-country. The activity of running is a stress reliever for Goentzel, but she also enjoys the competition of a good race.
“It drives you to go faster and try harder,” she said.
Although she would struggle to breathe after some runs in the summer, she worked even harder than before to prepare for the season. She has labored under the stress of asthma in early meets this season, but has gradually improved as the weather has cooled.
“She goes and works hard,” Carlson said. “No questions asked. She never complains. That work ethic pays off.”
Goentzel has a new goal for this season — qualifying for the 3A state competition at Wamego.
Other results
28. Derek Stuchlik 21:12; 30. Timothy Knolla 21:26; 33. Brandon Meierhoff 21:51; 35. Clark Kroupa 22:00;
26. Sarah Eurit 20:29.