The New Era
Junior Tanner Sayers and freshman Jessy Hart were named Most Valuable Runners at the cross-country team’s awards potluck Thursday, Nov. 9.
There wasn’t much suspense on the boys side, Coach Kambria Schumacher noted, after Sayers sliced nearly a minute and a half off his previous personal best through the course of the season, and finished in the top five in six races, including the state championships.
“His goal was to break into 17 minutes, then it became 16, then he wanted to go to state,” Schumacher said, delivering a brief summary of Sayers’ season.
“Going from not qualifying for state to getting on the podium was a huge momentum shift.”
Hart, for whom this year was her first in cross-country, cut 2½ minutes off her 5K time over the course of six races, from a 24:24 on a flat, fast course on Sept. 7, to 21:43 at the district meet, which was run on a slower, soggy course. She placed seventh in the district.
That kind of improvement in a single season, Schumacher said, is rare.
Best Newcomer went to freshman Tristan Calkins, who set a 1-minute PR at the league championships, running a 19:32.9.
Sophomore Zoe James, also a newcomer to cross-country, was named Most Improved for the girls, after dropping her 5K time from 25:36 at the beginning of the season to 22:18.
Sophomore Tristan Saultz, was named Most Improved for the boys, dropping from 21:22 in the first race of the season – which was a 20-second PR over his best 5K time as a freshman – to 18:51 at the district championships.
Calkins was named Most Improved of the JV runners.
Schumacher named sophomore Corban Wright Most Inspirational.
“I never saw him upset or mad,” she said.
The Coaches Award, for leadership and commitment, went to senior Cameron Taber.
Saultz received his first varsity letter.
Second-year letter winners were sophomore Zach Zanona and senior Cameron Taber.
Third-year letter winners were Sayers, junior Noah Dinsfriend and senior Ricky Yunke
Senior Noah Taraski earned his fourth letter.
On the girls side, Hart and James were first-year varsity letter winners.
Receiving junior varsity certificates were Edwards and freshman Summer Hicks for the girls, and freshmen Calkins, Gavin Walberg, Jaren Adams and Trace Marler, sophomores Connor Ford, Bryce Porter, Corban Wright and Eric Roddy, and seniors Jake Hindmarsh and Justin Kurtz.