The Seckman and Fox girls cross country teams, each paced by their top runner, finished third and fifth respectively at the 26th annual Ed White Festival of Races Saturday in Arnold.
Seckman’s Elizabeth Kundert, a junior two-time state qualifier, was the first Jefferson County runner into the finish chute, placing eighth in 19:48.8 on the five-kilometer (3.1 mile) course at Arnold City Park. Fox senior all-stater Isabella Marcum suffered an injury on the course and came in 18th in 20:38.5, more than two minutes off her personal record.
Seckman scored 90 points, well back of champion Cor Jesu Academy’s 29 but far ahead of rival Fox’s 160. Cor Jesu’s Adrienne Luna won the individual title in 18:47.2.
“During the first mile, I twisted my ankle and I usually have ankle injuries throughout my seasons, so when it twists, it hurts so bad and reinjures it again,” Marcum said. “I run on the outside of my feet and some of my spikes fell out on the course. I guess I didn’t twist them in enough.
“The (course) conditions were ideal. It was a perfect day for a race, a perfect course. Bad things happen sometimes.”
It was the second Saturday in a row the Jaguars took on some of the best teams in the state. The week before, they ran against defending Class 5 state champion Lafayette at the Bowles Invitational in Festus. On a much hillier course there, Kundert was sixth in 20:51.51. Sophomore Jessica Lane ran with Kundert Saturday and was the second Jaguar to finish, placing ninth in 19:50.8. Sophomore Ariel Laird was next for Seckman in 16th in 20:27.7. Lane and Laird, like Kundert, are returning state qualifiers.
“We were all really close together,” Kundert said of her teammates. “That was a really quick race. Jess and I were right next to each other and Ariel was after that, then Angela (Ward) and Kenzie (Fulliam). Jess and I outpaced Bella (Marcum). That was our goal. I watched her twist her ankle on the first mile.
“We put in a good week of training and we put it out here today. We knew (Cor Jesu) was going to go out in front. We wanted to keep them in sight.”
This won’t be the last time this season the Jags and Warriors run at Arnold City Park, which was bustling with the usual crowd at the farmer’s market. The meet, named after longtime former Fox head coach Ed White, featured 10 races from middle school through varsity, drawing hundreds of runners. The Class 5 District 1 race is in Arnold next month. Along with Fox and Seckman, Cor Jesu and Lafayette are among the 16 teams.
“I love this course. It’s flat and really fast,” Kundert said. “We do well here and it’s exciting districts are going to be here. I ran a lot better today than at (Bowles). Obviously, different courses, but it’s a big improvement.”
Shipp on state course
With three of the top six runners, the Fox boys finished third Saturday with 102 points, 20 behind team champ St. Charles. St. Louis University High was second with 95. The Seckman boys were fifth with 108.
St. Charles junior Nate Maples won the boys race in 16:23.4, and Fox senior Sam Shipp placed second in 16:36. Senior Jason Shaw, a state qualifier in 2020, was fourth for the Warriors in 16:47.7 and senior Carter Evans was sixth in 16:52.3.
Shipp said he’d been sick earlier in the week and it affected his performance. Earlier this season at Arcadia Valley, he set a PR of 16:25.5 in one of the fastest times in school history, Warrior head coach Norm Mitchell said.
“I feel pretty good today,” Shipp said, smiling and wearing sunglasses. “That was a great race. I love this course. We have our district race here and I hope to run a lot faster.”
Seckman’s top runners, both juniors, were James House (ninth, 17:08.08) and T.J. Evans (10th, 17:13.3).
Several teams from the county were competing Saturday at the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, the site of the state meet in November. Shipp said he watched Shaw run there two years ago, but he has yet to compete there.
“(The course) looks really fast,” Shipp said. “We have three or four guys I hope we can get under 16:30, and the next two under 18:00, and then we’ll have a decent team.”