Manhattan cross country teams capture regional titles, advance to state

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Manhattan High School's cross country teams swept the Class 6A regional championships Saturday in Wichita, punching their tickets to the state meet with dominant performances from both squads.

The top-ranked girls team and No. 4-ranked boys team will compete Saturday at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence. The girls race begins at 10:35 a.m., followed by the boys at 12:20 p.m.

Junior Gabrielle Converse led the Manhattan girls to the regional championship with a first-place finish in 19:14.79. Freshman Zara Koehn placed second in 19:35.78, and freshman Isla Spreer finished third in 19:45.92 to give Manhattan three of the top three individual finishes.

Freshman Lauren Perry rounded out the scoring with a 19th-place finish in 21:13.77.

The boys team also secured the regional championship behind strong performances throughout the lineup. Sophomore Andie Strathman finished sixth in 20:32.68, followed closely by freshman Allison Knopp in seventh place at 20:33.49. Sophomore Valeria Villoria placed 14th with a time of 20:52.47.

The regional victories continue a dominant season for both Manhattan teams. Earlier this month at the Centennial League championships, the girls posted a perfect score of 15 to claim the league title — what coach Susan Melgares said was the first perfect score in league history, or at least since 2004.

Converse captured the individual league crown in 18:37.6, with Koehn placing second in 18:53.7 and Spreer third in 19:00.8. The girls defeated runner-up Washburn Rural by more than 30 points.

The boys placed third at the league meet with 49 points in a tight team race behind Washburn Rural and Junction City.

Under the Class 6A format, the top three teams from each of four regional meets advance to the state championships, along with the top 15 individual finishers from each regional who are not members of qualifying teams.

Saturday's state meet at Rim Rock Farm will bring together the best Class 6A runners from across Kansas for the season's culminating event. The Manhattan girls enter as the state's top-ranked team, while the boys are ranked fourth.

The Lawrence-Free State High School facility at 2276 Burnett Lane in Lawrence will host the championships. No pets are permitted except service animals.