Prep Running Nerd

Statewide Nebraska coverage of T&F/XC. Photos at Blog/articles/rankings at

[Prep Running Nerd @PrepRunningNerd]

I make a lot of poor choices, and the latest was to devote my first free weekend since August to writing an 8,000-word recap of Friday's State meet at https://t.co/fge04Eht1T. Contents include:

▪️ How did you go bankrupt?
▪️ Breakdown of all 8 races
▪️ Always a good start
▪️ An ominous tweet
▪️ Fly the flag
▪️ Help me help OPS
▪️ Why so tired?
▪️ Best in the biz
▪️ The season is over. You won.
▪️ Drop your shield
▪️ And that's a wrap

[Prep Running Nerd @PrepRunningNerd]

The season is over.

You didn't make varsity.
You didn't qualify for State.
You didn't medal.
You didn't win State.

Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You won, and you don't even know it.

https://t.co/ZNgyemMs3O

[Prep Running Nerd @PrepRunningNerd]

In last week's Nerdsletter, we noted that the first girls' State XC meet didn't occur until 1980, 20 years after the first official boys' meet. Our follower Kelsee Sayer passed along a link to an article by the Nemaha Valley observer that sheds a bit more light on how Nebraska girls cross country came to be.

https://t.co/Mx0MoP7fda

[Prep Running Nerd @PrepRunningNerd]

I make a lot of poor choices, and the latest was to devote my first free weekend since August to writing an 8,000-word recap of Friday's State meet at https://t.co/fge04Eht1T. Contents include:

▪️ How did you go bankrupt?
▪️ Breakdown of all 8 races
▪️ Always a good start
▪️ An ominous tweet
▪️ Fly the flag
▪️ Help me help OPS
▪️ Why so tired?
▪️ Best in the biz
▪️ The season is over. You won.
▪️ Drop your shield
▪️ And that's a wrap

[Prep Running Nerd @PrepRunningNerd]

“Nerds capture greatness.”

Yes we do, Zoe. Thanks for being a superfan.

Photo: Joyful Nerd

[Prep Running Nerd @PrepRunningNerd]

Last year’s Nebraska State XC meet saw historically good times, particularly for the girls. In this year’s windy and deceptively hot edition, the course got its revenge.

Just before the first race, I tweeted a fake Confucius quote (my apologies to the Confucius family). That tweet was “He who goes fast early, often finishes late.”

As the races unfolded, the leaders with 400 meters remaining in Class D girls, Class D boys and Class A girls all collapsed before the finish line. The Class C boys leader at 3000 meters was overtaken by Trevin Opp, because that’s what Trevin has done for all three of his titles.

The carnage led one coach to just text me, “today makes me question everything I know about being a coach.”

My playful course map, in the shape of a hand, describes the final 800 meters as the middle finger. The analogy has never been more appropriate than today.

There are undoubtedly athletes and teams who hoped for more today. It’s that way every year at State, but this year feels a lot like 2023. In the aftermath of that meet, I wrote the “Drop Your Shield” article. I hope it provides some comfort to those of you who didn’t have the day you wanted.

https://t.co/3dd7m3fGtN

[Prep Running Nerd @PrepRunningNerd]

If Prep Running Nerd was a business, these Nerds would be the best in the business. Thanks for all ‘Howdy Nerds’ we heard today.

[Prep Running Nerd @PrepRunningNerd]

The State meet begins.

[Prep Running Nerd @PrepRunningNerd]

Don Bartholomew, Tom Hood and Steve Scoville are the starting line officials today. On a windy day with higher temps expected and a course with a second half that is much harder than the first, Don quoted Confucius from 2500 years ago: “He who starts early, often finishes late.”

Confucius was a four-time medalist.

[Prep Running Nerd @PrepRunningNerd]

Happy State XC day. Here are some links that may be useful:

State primer https://t.co/q0KFkdQOJi

Individual rankings https://t.co/fwgtbqV9oj

Team rankings https://t.co/8dh9Wd5MAE

Live results - no link has been posted yet, but most likely will be at https://t.co/pjOIzNKcVT or https://t.co/QcTlQDkMo2 or https://t.co/H95lxMAaGb

Course map attached

No room for fear or doubt https://t.co/ycdpNWBkku

[Prep Running Nerd @PrepRunningNerd]

One last reminder about the free FCA XC clinic being held at Bellevue University tomorrow (Saturday) from 1:00-4:00. The keynote speakers are Jim and Anne Ryun.

For the youngsters in the room, Jim Ryun is a Wichita native who became the first American high schooler to break the four-minute mile barrier. He first ran 3:59.0 as a junior, and then 3:55.30 as a senior to with the AAU Championship ahead of Olympic gold medalist Peter Snell. He set the world record of 1:44.9 in the half-mile and 3:51.3 in the mile as 19-year-old, and he won the NCAA indoor and outdoor mile four times while at KU. He competed in the 1964, 1968 and 1972 Olympics, winning silver in the 1500 in 1968.

After a post-competitive career that includes hosting camps and giving motivational speeches, Jim served in the US House of Representatives from 1996 to 2006. His Christian faith has been an important part of Jim's life story, and the Omaha chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes is sponsoring the three-hour event.

The cross country clinic will also include presentations by former D2 athlete and backwards mile world-record holder Aaron Yoder, former UNO runner Lily Jackson, and triathlete Lincoln Murdoch. The event is open to athletes, coaches, parents, adults and anyone else who loves distance running.

Admission is free but pre-registration at this link is required so the event has adequate seating. https://t.co/L2R0u8vcPK

[Prep Running Nerd @PrepRunningNerd]

Our pre-State Nerdsletter is posted at https://t.co/q0KFkdQgTK and includes the following:

▪️ The most awesome weekend ever
▪️ Jim Ryun in Bellevue
▪️ Blazing Tiger be hoppin'
▪️ State history
▪️ State fan guide
▪️ The handy State map
▪️ Non-team qualifying
▪️ Notable District results
▪️ 3x and 4x medal hopefuls
▪️ Team outlook
▪️ Signs!
▪️ No fear or doubt
▪️ Results
▪️ Photos!
▪️ JH State video

We've got a lot of data in this week's post, so please email [email protected] if you find errors.

[Prep Running Nerd @PrepRunningNerd]

Our pre-State Nerdsletter is posted at https://t.co/q0KFkdQgTK and includes the following:

▪️ The most awesome weekend ever
▪️ Jim Ryun in Bellevue
▪️ Blazing Tiger be hoppin'
▪️ State history
▪️ State fan guide
▪️ The handy State map
▪️ Non-team qualifying
▪️ Notable District results
▪️ 3x and 4x medal hopefuls
▪️ Team outlook
▪️ Signs!
▪️ No fear or doubt
▪️ Results
▪️ Photos!
▪️ JH State video

We've got a lot of data in this week's post, so please email [email protected] if you find errors.

[Prep Running Nerd @PrepRunningNerd]

If you're a distance running fan, this Friday and Saturday may be the best weekend of your year. Here is your itinerary:

* Friday, 10/23, 12:00 - State meet at the Kearney Country Club

* Sat, 10/24, 10:00 - Blazing Tiger NAIA meet at Mahoney State Park - 35 teams including 11 ranked teams https://t.co/S1JRQ9tKZ7

* Sat, 10/24, 1:00 - FCA XC clinic at Bellevue University featuring Olympian Jim Ryun

For the youngsters in the room, Jim Ryun is a Wichita native who became the first American high schooler to break the four-minute mile barrier. He first ran 3:59.0 as a junior, and then 3:55.30 as a senior to with the AAU Championship ahead of Olympic gold medalist Peter Snell. He set the world record of 1:44.9 in the half-mile and 3:51.3 in the mile as 19-year-old, and he won the NCAA indoor and outdoor mile four times while at KU.

He competed in the 1964, 1968 and 1972 Olympics, winning silver in the 1500 in 1968. After a post-competitive career that includes hosting camps and giving motivational speeches, Jim served in the US House of Representatives from 1996 to 2006. His Christian faith has been an important part of Jim's life story, and the Omaha chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes is sponsoring the three-hour event.

The cross country clinic will also include presentations by former D2 athlete and backwards mile world-record holder Aaron Yoder, former UNO runner Lily Jackson, and triathlete Lincoln Murdoch. The event is open to athletes, coaches, parents, adults and anyone else who loves distance running. Admission is free but pre-registration at this link is required so the event has adequate seating. https://t.co/L2R0u8uF0c

[Prep Running Nerd @PrepRunningNerd]

We've issued our final Nerd rankings of the season. It's a labor of love; while we lost most of our Sunday mornings for the last eight weeks, it did allow us to become familiar with the results of over 200 outstanding runners. Here's a recap of the boys' rankings:

In Class A, Norfolk's Liam Gonzalez earns the first #1 ranking of his career after edging Papio South's Aiden Gehring at Districts. These two boys have separated from the Class A field, and it's a toss-up who will win at State. Gavin Leeper of Westside and Mitchell Ripley of LSW return to the rankings at #9 and #10 after strong District performances. Elijah Bickley is the biggest mover, jumping from #14 to #7 after he and #6 Leverett Stricklett of Prep tied for the 2nd-fastest District times at Pioneer's Park on Wednesday.

In Class B, Jackson Einspahr of Seward maintains his stranglehold on #1 after his finish at Overton was 25 seconds better than the rest of the B3/B4 competitors. Carter Ribble of Beatrice and Sam Robinson of Norris move up to #2 and #3 after posting the two fastest times at Beatrice in B1/B2. Ethan Smith of Northwest jumps from #8 to #4 by winning his District meet and posting the second fastest time at Overton. Isac Portillo-Munoz of Lexington and Joe Norman of Pius return to the rankings.

The top four spots in Class C are unchanged, but Holdrege's Christophe Widick returns to the rankings at #5 after finishing 4th at the loaded C5 meet. His teammate Hunter Mueller earns his first ranking of the season at #12 after finishing 5th in C5. Esten Kohl of Platteview is the biggest mover, improving from #12 to #8 after winning the C2 meet at Boys Town. Teddy Haake of Norfolk Catholic and Gage Thull of Minden return to the rankings at #14 and #15.

We don't have many changes in Class D. The Cornerstone boys and Jaiden Anderson of Archangels first met a few weeks ago at Battle Creek and raced again at the D2 meet, and the results there led to a slight change. Kole Krusemark of Ponca is the only new arrival at #15; he was previously ranked in Week 2 and 3.

In addition to the top 10 boys listed on these graphics, you can find team names, the boys ranked #11-#15, and the boys on the final Nerd watch list at https://t.co/fwgtbqUByL. If you'd like to review prior week rankings as well as the coaches' team rankings for the entire year, go to our website at https://t.co/8dh9Wd5eL6.

[Prep Running Nerd @PrepRunningNerd]

We've issued our final girls' rankings of the season. As we head towards the 47th girls' State championship, let's give a round of applause to the athletes who have worked so hard this year to qualify for the State meet. Here's a recap of the rankings this week:

Emily Hegge of Papio South remains #1 after running a blazing 17:33 on the fast Kearney Meadowlark course where A3/A4 District meets were held. Madison Scott of Millard West moves into #3 after her A2 winning time was just three seconds behind the A1 winning time of #2 Maya Freyer. Harper Dubas of Millard West jumps from the Watch List to #7 after running the 5th-fastest time at Pioneer's Park where the A1/A2 races were held. Louise Walker of Marian improves from #12 to #6 after a District race where she finished with both shoes (in contrast to her Metros race). Caitlin Steliga of Omaha Westside earns her first ranking of the season at #15 after posting the 9th fastest time in A1/A2.

In Class B, Sophia Reynolds of Hastings and Haylen Holliday of Seward remain at #1 and #2. Lucy Zabloudil continues her march up the rankings after returning from a midseason injury, and she sits at #3 after running the fastest B1/B2 time at Beatrice. Lily Philips of Seward is the biggest mover, rising from #9 to #4 after posting the third-fastest time at the B3/B4 meets at Overton behind Reynolds and Holliday. Sierra Regan of Gretna returns to the rankings at #8 while #15 Quinn Sorben of Waverly and #13 Eden Majerus and #14 Emma Nichols of North Platte all earn their first rankings of the season.

In Clas B, #1 Scout Bell of Gothenburg and #2 Tayla Hurner of Wayne had comfortable wins in their District meets. Amelia Buhlke of Central City moves from #6 to #3 after edging previous #3 Macie Carter of Milford at the C4 meet. Adams Central had five medalists in route to their C4 team title, pushing June Lehn (#12) and Margaret Lehn (#15) into the rankings for the first time this year. Emily Randall of Chase County also returns to the rankings after finishing 4th in the tough C5 District meet.

The top five girls' in Class D have held their spots for the last four weeks. However, Meredith Wortmann of Crofton rockets from the Watch List to #6 after finishing second behind #1 Avery Arens at the D1 meet, and Stanton's Azlynn Johnson makes her first rankings appearance this season at #11 after finishing 2nd at the D2 meet behind #5 McKinley Mankin of Nebraska Christian. Kayleigh Betka of McCool Junction has been injured much of the season, but her 3rd-place finish at the D3 meet has propelled her into the #15 ranking.

In addition to the top 10 girls listed on these graphics, you can find team names, the girls ranked #11-#15, and the girls on the final Nerd watch list at https://t.co/KEUzo4EVWn. If you'd like to review prior week rankings as well as the coaches' team rankings for the entire year, go to our website at https://t.co/PUxCzYfDsJ.

Good luck at State!

[Prep Running Nerd @PrepRunningNerd]

The final coaches' polls for Classes B, C and D have been released. Heading into Friday's State meet, here are the top-ranked teams:

Class B
Boys - North Platte, up from #2 last week
Girls - Lincoln Pius

Class C
Boys - Lincoln Christian
Girls - Adams Central, up from #2 last week

Class D
Boys - Doniphan-Trumbull
Girls - Crofton

The final Class A poll was issued last week and reflects Creighton Prep as the top-ranked boys' team and Millard West as the girls' favorite.

To view the coaches’ polls for the entire year, as well as the Nerd individual rankings, go to https://t.co/8dh9Wd5eL6. Our final individual rankings will be issued tomorrow.

[Prep Running Nerd @PrepRunningNerd]

It's State week. Just to get you in the mood, here's an awesome video the Nerds created from the 2023 State meet.