After winning the Class 5 state cross country championship at Gans Creek in Columbia last November, Eureka High School’s No. 1 runner, Daphne Bishop, graduated last spring.
If the Wildcats thought they’d need to find another top runner, they need to look no further than senior Brooke Samuelson. About the same time Bishop was picking up her diploma, Samuelson won medals in the 800- and 1,600-meter runs at the Class 5 state track and field championships in Jefferson City.
Not on the cross country squad a year ago, Samuelson joined them this fall and after two races has firmly established herself as Eureka’s new No. 1 runner.
At the First Capital Invitational at McNair Park in St. Charles on Sept. 5, Samuelson won the 3.1-mile (5K) race with a time of 18:39.41. That was 38 seconds faster than Brentwood senior Kensington Curd’s second-place time of 19:17.80. Not only did Samuelson take first, but the Wildcats did too with 46 points, a score equally impressive to Samuelson’s time when considering Webster Groves was second with 109.
The Wildcats return to McNair for the Suburban Conference race Oct. 18.
At the Stan Nelson Invitational in House Springs on Sept. 13, Samuelson won her second race with a faster time of 18:33.46. Not only did her time improve, but her margin of victory increased to 1:09 when Parkway South senior Natalie Lena finished second in 19:42.49. And Eureka’s point total dropped to 41 points for the second win in as many starts this season.
Before the 5K season began, Samuelson cracked 5 minutes in the mile and Eureka head coach Darrell Lewis said that’s when he knew she was ready to be the team’s leader.
“Her finish at (Stan Nelson) is kind of where she’s been in practice,” Lewis said. “She’s been a nice addition to our team.”
“My coach gave me the green light,” Samuelson said after winning at First Capital. “He said, ‘No expectations. Go out and have fun.’ He gave me the option to go out with the pack or out strong. I was feeling good and was like, ‘Let’s get better and go push it.’ It was hard, but it was fun.”
The course at McNair Park isn’t very hilly, but runners have to navigate three laps before they break off and head toward the finish.
“The hardest part of the course for me was not getting lost,” Samuelson said.
Samuelson hadn’t run a 5K in at least two years.
“Her PR going into the (First Capital) race was 20:18,” Lewis said. “We knew that she was better than that now. We didn’t know what she could do.”
One runner can’t win a meet by themselves, and Samuelson won’t have to because several runners are returning from last year’s state champions.
Sophomore Claire McKinnon was the fifth score for the Wildcats at state last year, and she pulled in behind Samuelson as the second Eureka runner in both races. McKinnon was sixth at First Capital in 19:43.37 and fourth at Stan Nelson in 19:59.55. McKinnon’s time in St. Charles was a few seconds off from her personal best.
Junior Sofia Hoercheler and sophomore Madison Schepis both won individual state medals (top 30) last year. Hoerchler was 10th in St. Charles in 20:00.69 and 10th again at Stan Nelson in 20:28.36. Schepis is dealing with soreness and ran in two JV races. Lewis said her goal wasn’t to race but get out and run. Lewis said her first varsity race will be at the Gans Creek Classic on Sept. 26.
“We didn’t want her to injure herself feeling like she had to push too hard in a varsity race,” Lewis said.
Seniors Abigail Smith and Haley Meek were part of the state champions and after two races they have a way to go before they get under 20:00.
“The team is looking really strong. We have a lot of depth,” Samuelson said. “We have 10 girls who can get after it. We’re going to keep working and having a good time.”
The Eureka boys cross country team won the title at First Capital with 84 points, another healthy margin of victory over Webster Groves’ second-place score of 119.
Senior Joe Rauls was the top finisher in St. Charles in fourth in 17:12.50. Senior Jackson Dalton (sixth, 17:19.46) and sophomore Andrew Perry (seventh, 17:21.87) were the other Wildcats to crack the top 10.
The Eureka schools diverged for the second meet when the Wildcat boys competed in the Forest Park Cross Country Festival in St. Louis on Sept. 13. With teams like Rockhurst (KC), SLUH and Festus High School in the mix, the field got a lot harder and Eureka was 10th with 272 points. Second in the state in Class 5 last year, the Jr. Bills won at Forest Park with 51 points. Rockhurst sophomore Jack McGovern torched the field in 15:05.40. Rauls again was the top Eureka runner in 34th place in 16:39.00.
The boys will join the girls at Gans Creek next week.