Inspiration propels Kickapoo’s Brown to sixth-place finish

037a1447-5

By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)

Columbia, Mo. — Missouri unveiled a brand new location its 2019 state championships in Columbia’s Gans Creek cross country course.

Designed specifically for cross country events by Columbia Parks and Recreation and the University of Missouri, the brand new course is the first to host the state meet following Jefferson City’s 42-year run.

1,369 runners in four classes descended on the area for Saturday’s championship races.

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE CLASS 4 RACES

Girls Race

For most freshmen fortunate enough to run in the state championship race, a tenth-place finish would mark a significant accomplishment.

Kickapoo’s Klarie Brown is not like most freshmen.

While racing within a secondary pack of runners and slowly slipping down the leaderboard, Brown received an auditory queue that set off an internal panic alarm.

“I heard somebody call out tenth, so I thought, ‘Oh crap … I better get going,’” Brown said. “I don’t want to be tenth.”

While Rock Bridge freshman Carolyn Ford completed a wire-to-wire finish with a time of 18:08.6, Brown was able to drop the hammer over the last 1,000 meters and notch a sixth-place finish in 18:42.4.

Lady Chiefs head coach Jeremy Goddard praised Brown’s resilient nature and competitive drive.

“[Brown] is a fighter,” Goddard said. “She doesn’t lay down, and she won’t stop fighting. Things didn’t go necessarily perfect today — she went out a little too aggressive and had some serious fight in the middle and faded all the way back from third to tenth. Like she said, she heard tenth and though, ‘I don’t want to be tenth.’”

Brown dropped 14 seconds off her 1,000-meter pace in the final stages, and slumped to the ground after crossing the finish line.

“She dug in and gutted it out,” Goddard said. “I’ve never seen her collapse at a meet — she did this time. She came across and collapsed, which shows where she’s willing to go to not be tenth. That’s unique.”

The area’s other top-25 finishers included West Plains senior Mia Harris (tenth), Nixa sophomore Alicen Ashley (15th) and Carthage senior Jenari Lopez (22nd).

West Plains was the only area school to finish in the top ten overall rankings as a team. The Lady Zizzers finished fifth.

Class 4 O-Zone Girls All-State Finishers

6. Klarie Brown, Kickapoo (18:42.4)
10. Mia Harris, West Plains (18:50.0)
15. Alicen Ashley, Nixa (18:55.3)
22. Jenari Lopez, Carthage (19:02.9)

Class 4 O-Zone Girls Top Team Finishes

5. West Plains – 193

In the boys race, Rockhurst senior Wesley Porter ran away from the field, finishing with a blistering first-place time of 15:07.5.

Webb City’s Joseph Dawson (15th) and West Plains’ Riley Simpson (19th) were the area’s only finishers in the top 25.

Raymore-Peculiar captured the overall team competition with a 104-point first-place finish.

Webb City was the area’s top team, finishing in 11th.

Class 4 O-Zone Boys All-State Finishers

15. Joseph Dawson, Webb City (15:51.1)
19. Riley Simpson, West Plains (15:54.3)

Class 4 O-Zone Boys Top Team Finishes

11. Webb City – 252

Related Posts

Loading...