By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
The Rim Rock Classic, one of the largest cross country meets in the region, took place on Friday evening with four races followed by eight races on Saturday at Rim Rock Farm. There were over 3,000 runners from Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Iowa and Texas participating in the two-day event.
Seaman junior Ryin Miller won the Girls Gold title Saturday in the prestigious Rim Rock Classic, her fourth win of the season. [Photo by Charles Spurlock/TSN]
Seaman junior Ryin Miller (front, right) won the gold medal in Saturday's Rim Rock Classic. [Photo by Charles Spurlock/TSN]
The highlight of the races on Saturday for the local schools occurred during the Girls Gold varsity race where Seaman junior Ryin Miller continued her winning ways by leading from start to finish in a five kilometer time of 17 minutes, 14.1 seconds, leading her team to a 15th-place finish.
Washburn Rural senior Payton Fink posted a 10th-place finish in the Rim Rock Classic Girls Gold race on Saturday at Rim Rock Farm. [Photo by Charles Spurlock/TSN]
The Washburn Rural girls finished in sixth place, only one point from fifth. The Junior Blues were led by senior Payton Fink, who finished in 10th place with a time of 18:32.9. Rylee Ismert, also a medalist, finished in 23rd with a time of 19:12.9 while Emily Graf just missed out on the medals with a 26th-place finish of 19:22.7.
Seaman coach Rick Brading discusssed his team’s performance: “We ran very well. We were hopeful that Ryin could pull it off, but we wanted to see our fourth and fifth runners get some improvement today and they did. Sophomores Kinley Robinson and Hannah Wempe ran really well. Senior Stella Applehanz also had the best race of her career today.”
Miller, winning her fourth race of the season, said, “I felt like I ran really smart. Usually when she (Salina Central senior Katelyn Rupe) gets too far ahead, it gets to me. I wanted to stick with her, so I pushed the pace. I like to lead because that’s what makes me run the best and feel the most confident. So that was my goal and I just tried to hang on at the end because they (Rupe and sophomore teammate Kaylie Shultz) were coming hard at the end. I was happy with how it went.”
In the Boys Gold race, Seaman junior Brody Anderson was a medalist, finishing 23rd, with a time of 16:16.7, leading Seaman to a 24th- place team finish. The Washburn Rural boys finished in 21st place.
Seaman coach Luke Wiens discussed his team’s performance: “I really liked our competitiveness. We got out aggressive, maybe too aggressive, but I really liked their heart. If we’re too aggressive, it’s a lot easier to tone that back, rather than to take someone who is not aggressive and make them aggressive. We’re not there yet, but I thought it was a big step forward.”
There were several other great performances from local schools throughout the two-day event.
The Boys Gold JV race on Friday evening saw Washburn Rural finish in second place as a team with two runners in the top ten -- senior Anderson Leinwetter finished in fifth while junior Wyatt Shorb finished in 10th. The Seaman boys finished in 13th place.
Both C Team races on Friday saw success from both Washburn Rural teams -- the boys finished first, while the girls finished second. The Seaman boys finished the C Team race in 11th place.
In the Saturday JV races, Seaman’s girls finished in sixth place, while the Shawnee Heights girls finished in 14th place. In the boys race, Shawnee Heights finished in 14th, Hayden finished in 23rd and Topeka High finished in 25th.
The remaining varsity races on Saturday saw two medalists in the boys races.
Topeka West senior Adrian Lehman finished second in Saturday's Rim Rock Classic Crimson division. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka West senior Adrian Lehman finished second with a time of 16:12.2 and Shawnee Heights senior Evan Carter finished 22nd in a time of 17:02.2. In the girls races, senior Elliot Wrench of Hayden was a medalist, finishing in 16th with a time of 20:39.7.
Saturday’s Races (top five teams, plus local teams)
Girls Gold Varsity
1st - Millard West 109
2nd - Denver East 163
3rd - Father Tolton Catholic 185
4th - Ankeny Centennial 210
5th - St. James Academy 221
6th - Washburn Rural 222
15th - Seaman 358
Washburn Rural : Payton Fink (18:32.9; 10th); Rylee Ismert (19:16.9; 23rd); Emily Graf (19:22.7; 26th); Brooklyn Nolte (20:00.2; 56th); Kenzie Maddox (21:47.7; 135th); Kate Muir (23:07; 156th)
Seaman : Ryin Miller (17:14.1; 1st); Stella Applehanz (19:50.1; 51st); Brynn Spencer (20:20.2; 74th); Kinley Robinson (21:37.1; 131st); Hannah Wempe (21:49.4; 136th)
Boys Gold Varsity
1st - Spring Hill 88
2nd - Blue Valley Southwest 120
3rd - Kapaun-Mt. Carmel 149
4th - College Park 164
5th - Fort Collins 206
21st - Washburn Rural 559
24th - Seaman 632
Washburn Rural : Henry Laubach (16:54.9; 63rd); Brooks Kehoe (17:29; 114th); Duke Graf (17:38.5; 126th); Connor Olsen (17:46.6; 141st); Christopher Quarles (17:47.3; 142nd); Bodie King (17:47.9; 144th); Clayton Fink (17:51.5; 151st)
Seaman : Brody Anderson (16:16.7; 23rd); Alex Newell (17:45.7; 138th); Conner Bloom (18:01; 155th); Corbin Murrow (18:35.9; 168th); Drake Spurlock (18:51; 176th)
Girls Crimson Varsity
1st - Fort Collins 87
2nd - Andover 183
3rd - Maize South 223
4th - Emporia 230
5th - Iowa City West 276
20th - Royal Valley 452
Royal Valley : Josie Shelton (21:29.5; 37th); Addilyn Lefferd (22:14.5; 62nd); Arianna Faulkner (22:43; 81st); Dakota Hittle (24:04.2; 153rd); Stormy Lake (26:31.6; 198th)
Shawnee Heights : Abigail Lewis (23:54.9; 147th); Kinsley Mohan (25:05.6; 179th); Elizabeth Hogan (25:45.3; 191st)
Topeka West : Chloe Phelps (22:48.5; 90th); Payton Rice (23:14.1; 112th)
Boys Crimson Varsity
1st - Holcomb 115
2nd - Wamego 169
3rd - Dodge City 274
4th - Buhler 276
5th - Lexington 280
15th - Topeka West 454
23rd - Shawnee Heights 588
35th - Topeka High 878
38th - Royal Valley 983
Topeka West : Adrian Lehman (16:12.2; 2nd); Mark Wilkie (17:27.3; 42nd); Tony Lloyd (18:16.4; 97th); Jayden Sigle (18:26.5; 107th); Matias Bledsoe (19:56.9; 229th); Peyton Collette (20:29; 249th)
Shawnee Heights : Evan Carter (17:02.2; 22nd); Max Esquibel (17:35.1; 47th); Conner Knernschield (18:40.8; 133th); Issac Song (19:22.9; 192nd); Andrew Schhulte (19:51.3; 222nd); Carter Vincent (20:15.9; 239th); Carson Anderson (20:23; 245th)
Topeka High : Stuart Campbell (17:47.7; 63rd); Gregory Njorgoe (18:31.6; 116th); Easton Davis (19:22.4; 191st); Tayleon Flores (21:05.8; 272nd); Oliver Snethen (21:31.5; 288th); Meeko Tinoco (23:40.8; 299th)
Royal Valley : Dominick Schnider (17:12; 29th); Hunter May (19:01.4; 163rd); Kadyn Pugh (20:37.1; 254th); Jase Johnson (22:48.6; 296th); Adam Kahle (24:52.8; 303rd); Peyton Rivera (25:25.8; 305th); James Criqui (25:52.5; 306th)
Girls Blue Varsity
1st - Buhler 241
2nd - Eudora 256
3rd - Scott Community 276
4th - Holton 293
5th - Paola 309
32nd - Silver Lake 714
Silver Lake : Alessandra Gerber (21:35.4; 34th); Tessa Gerber (22:05.8; 50th); Breanna Ackerly (26:14.4; 230th); Ashtynn Forgy (26:57.3; 264th); Carly Blubaugh (33:19.1; 314th)
Hayden : Elliot Wrench (20:39.7; 16th); Sofia Harper (21:25.3; 27th); Ryann Newkirk (23:44.6; 127th)
Boys Blue Varsity
1st - Central Heights 90
2nd - Central Heights 188
3rd - Hutchinson-Trinity 318
4th - Smoky Valley Home 356
5th - Baldwin 377
12th - Hayden 505
36th - Silver Lake 842
Hayden : Conner Baldwin (18:11.4; 59th); Jonah Stewart (18:19.8; 62nd); Nick Newkirk (18:20.1; 64th); Derek Ahlstedt (19:45.2; 164th); Ethan Rochford (20:07.9; 205th); Luke Franklin (20:36.4; 236th); Nathaniel Augustine (20:38.5; 243rd)
Silver Lake : Hunter Rooks (18:52.6; 100th); Aemon Coffman (19:31.6; 145th); Caleb Rooks (19:38; 155th); Camden Kruger (20:52.9; 259th); Joel Heier (20:56.7; 265th); Miles Burgess (21:16.1; 280th)
Rossville : Torin Culbertson (21:16.2; 281st); Nate Fund (21:56.9; 314th); Dalton Verschelden (24:55.3; 386th); Lochlan Culbertson (25:25.9; 391st)
Girls Crimson/Blue JV
1st - Denver East 26
2nd - St. James Academy 44
3rd - Bishop Carroll 62
4th - Eudora 112
5th - Junction City 120
6th - Seaman 191
14th - Shawnee Heights 345
Seaman : Avery Villines (22:29.4; 16th); Emma Gonzalez (23:22.3; 39th); Abigail Cooper (23:38.3; 46th); Kennedy Gatewood (25:39.4; 89th); Bailey Martin (25:58.9; 95th); Jaydin Frickey (26:09.7; 103rd); Sophie Reffett (30:39.7; 171st); Kelsey Woolery (32:45.6; 177th); Catie Gould (34:26.9; 182nd)
Shawnee Heights : Adelaide Davis (25:32.4; 86th); Piper Geil (26:10.5; 105th); Alison Fulghum (26:44.7; 114th); Reese Perkins (26:51.3; 117th); Natalia Venegas (28:09.7; 150th); Mya Hall (28:51; 160th); Allison Frieson (29:03.6; 164th)
Topeka West : Jordyn McKinzie (23:16; 32nd)
Boys Crimson/Blue JV
1st - Junction City 48
2nd - Kapaun-Mt. Carmel 59
3rd - Bishop Carroll 68
4th - Wichita Southeast 133
5th - Denver East 155
14th - Shawnee Heights 380
23rd - Topeka Hayden 633
25th - Topeka 672
Shawnee Heights : Cash Reitcheck (20:09.7; 65th); Deyton Coufal (20:23.8; 74th); Ronin Wiggs (20:29.9; 81st); Landon Patrick (21:01.3; 108th); Boston Valdivia (21:59.3; 138th); Kellam Mohan (23:30.4; 194th)
Topeka Hayden : Matthew Harmer (19:42.8; 44th); Seamus Mcinerney (23:51.1; 199th); Shun Otsuki (24:17.3; 205th); Logan Heskett (24:25.4; 208th); Blaise Driver (24:48.6; 214th); Palmer Heskett (27:01.1; 232nd)
Topeka : Matthew Hanes (20:47.9; 97th); Amir El-Jammal (23:37.8; 197th); Gustavo Hernadez-Garcia (23:54.8; 200th); Javion Pugh (24:37.5; 211th); Sebastian Homerding (24:46.3; 212th); Dexter Lonergan (25:47.6; 222nd); Traceton Gee (26:54.6; 231st); Juan Cruz-Acosta (35:04.3; 243rd)
Topeka West : Rhys Green (21:43.1; 128th); Julian Ramcharan (22:31.1; 162nd); Finn Lappin (24:08.7; 203rd)
Friday’s Races (top five teams, plus local teams)
Girls Gold JV
1st - Millard West 15
2nd - Ankeny Centennial 81
3rd - St. Thomas Aquinas 103
4th - Manhattan 129
5th - Edmond Memorial 129
Boys Gold JV
1st - Waukee Northwest 32
2nd - Washburn Rural 69
3rd - Manhattan 83
4th - Gardner-Edgerton 112
5th - St. Thomas Aquinas 155
13th - Seaman 373
Washburn Rural : Anderson Leinwetter (17:55.5; 5th); Wyatt Shorb (18:01.8; 10th); Eli Replogle (18:11.3; 19th); Trey Recob (18:23.2; 22nd); Wesley Meek (18:24.7; 24th); Ethan Koci (18:35.9; 32nd); Jaxson Adams (18:38.4; 33rd); Brady Meek (18:52.3; 39th); Aditya Gupta (18:58.6; 41st)
Seaman : Maddox Moore (19:37.8; 73rd); Manny Armstead (19:39.6; 74th); Cody Moses (20:27.3; 96th); Trace Brungardt (20:28.5; 97th); Caleb King (20:29.8; 99th); Stephen Miano (21:47.3; 113th); Wesley Eckert (21:55.9; 116th); Trace LaRow (22:01; 119th)
Girls C-Team
1st - Mill Valley 28
2nd - Washburn Rural 45
3rd - Manhattan 59
4th - St. Thomas Aquinas 127
5th - Wichita Classical 150
Washburn Rural : Kailey Dorzweiler (24:16.6; 6th); Reese Beardslee (24:21.6; 7th); Michka Mejia (24:28.2; 9th); Harper Tenbrink (25:05.1; 15th); Lacey Middleton (25:29.8; 20th); Rayuana Huey (25:39.4; 22nd); Lily McCoy (25:43.2; 24th); Katherine Wolgast (26:33.9; 30th); Jazlyn Badger (26:37.1; 33rd); Maddy Blow (31:27.6; 64th)
Boys C-Team
1st - Washburn Rural 34
2nd - Manhattan 67
3rd - Gardner-Edgerton 89
4th - Mill Valley 132
5th - Lawrence 166
11th - Seaman 315
Washburn Rural : Steven Carr-Metzger (19:06.9; 2nd); Guage Dial (19:17.3; 4th); Cedric Geotz (19:26.7; 7th); Daniel Ginzburg (19:29.7; 10th); Chase Hastings (19:31.4; 11th); Landon Haberman (19:32.5; 13th); Asher Denman (19:39.3; 19th); Bennett Wells (19:40.5; 21st); Braylon Badger (20:00.2; 25th); Blake Hanson (23:23.6; 92nd);
Seaman : Camden Dutton (22:14.8; 67th); Easton Murrow (22:49.9; 75th); Nick Horton (22:54.8; 79th); Brady Marteney (23:00.9; 82nd); Aaron Haynes (23:21.4; 91st); John Holloway (23:46.5; 101st); Spencer Archer (31:06.8; 127th); Andrew Yorkey (33:36.9; 129th)
