Becky Alden is no stranger to the art of running.
Alden has coached runners in cross country and track and field at Seckman and now at Fox.
Involved in the sport for nearly two decades as a coach, Alden took a sabbatical for a while to share her expertise with younger boys and girls.
This is her second fall as the head coach for the Fox harriers, but with this comes a bit of a twist. In somewhat of an unusual precedent, Alden is the head coach of both the girls and boys.
“It’s something the (school) district went to last spring; one head coach for both track and cross country,” Alden said. “And although it’s been quite an adjustment, I’m fine with it. Obviously there’s more paperwork to deal with coaching both teams, but we all work out together anyway. And that’s how it’s been in the middle school for years.”
After initially joking that she had crossed over to the “dark side,” from Seckman to Fox in her coaching career, Alden said all is well.
“It’s been a great transition for me,” she said. “I was glad to get back to the varsity level after eight years off.”
More importantly, Alden once again gets to sing the praises of her runners, just like in the old days of coaching track at Seckman.
“On the girls’ side, after just the two meets we’ve competed in, they’ve impressed me,” she said. Amie Martin is off to a great start and was the top runner at Jackson. Lindsay Poitras ran for two weeks last year, injured her ankle and has come back with a vengeance as a senior. Sophomore Adara Webb was a freshman standout in 2016.
“Madi Kiesker, along with Paige Mason, they were kind of my summer leaders,” Alden said. “They really put in a ton of work and are already taking times off from last year. Carli Wright started late last season, but she’s already taken two or three minutes off so far. Things have been going so smoothly that’s it’s just been wonderful for us.”
Alden has been pleased with the early work on the boys side.
“We’ve got what I call a “pack of three” that, early on at practice, are really pushing each other,” she said.
Ethan Webb and Ray Bonner return to the varsity and Cameron Howard has come over from the track team.
“(Howard) has been a great addition, and is definitely pushing the other two to work hard,” Alden said. “Jakob McMillin was a standout freshman last year, and is the typical runner, with strength and power in his height.”
Alden said it’s great to be back, even if in a dual head coaching role – she said she has a bunch of great assistants to help out.
“I couldn’t ask for better teams, and that’s why I’m so excited,” she said. “They work so hard, and actually ask to repeat workouts. That’s something you don’t hear, or see, from a lot of runners.”
Jaguar girls, boys hoping for strong presence at state meet
Jacqueline Roach had to admit that the decision by the Fox C-6 School District to consolidate the head coaching spots for boys and girls cross country into one position made her a little nervous.
Not that Roach, who has led Seckman’s girls since 2003, was concerned that she couldn’t handle the combined job. However, she said, she just couldn’t help but wonder if forcing the two teams to work together might create a bit of friction.
“You would expect that making them come together, which is something they’re not used to, that there could be some fighting, some disagreements, ‘Hey, this isn’t working,’ that sort of thing,” Roach said.
Quite the opposite has happened, as Roach said the teams have meshed extremely well.
“They’re really been pushing each other, and it’s making us a closer team,” Roach said. “It’s been going good. Scary good, actually.”
Sophomore Stephanie Anthonies has led the way so far for the girls. She placed fourth in the Webster Groves Invitational with a time of 20:58.9, then ran a 19:47.24 to finish fifth at the Stan Nelson Invitational on Saturday.
“Stephanie is a determined runner,” Roach said. “This is something she loves to do.”
And something she’s proven to be pretty good at as well. Last year, Anthonies was the Jaguars’ lone qualifier for the Class 4 state meet, where she finished 41st with a time of 19:49.54, just 25.5 seconds away from earning a medal.
“She’ll go to state all four years,” Roach said. “We plan on making those reservations every year.
“We wanted her to finish in the top 50; that was our goal for her as a freshman, but she was a bit nervous at the start of the race. Stephanie is usually calm and collected. She does a good job staying out of her head, but she let the nerves get to her a little bit at the starting line, being the only Seckman girl, not running with her friends. When she finished, Stephanie could see that she had something left, because she was scared, so I think this year she’ll place higher. Our goal is to be in the 30s, because now she has one under her belt, she knows what to expect.”
Roach said she is optimistic that Anthonies will have some company on the starting line at state this year, with senior Alexis Dreyer helping to fuel those hopes. Dreyer finished 29th at Stan Nelson with a time of 21:23.34.
“Dreyer’s a great leader,” Roach said. “We’re pushing her, putting the idea of state in her head, and she wants it bad, with this being her last year.”
Seniors Brooke Anthonies and Megan Howdeshell have also provided leadership, while sophomores Ashley McMahon, Kennedy Crutchley and Tiffany Camden return after helping lead the Jaguars into sectionals as a team last season for the first time in seven years. McMahon finished 24th at Stan Nelson with a time of 21:06.22, while Crutchley placed 33rd (21:49.26 and Camden finished 50th (22:47.02). Brooke Anthonies placed 56th (23:16.40).
“I can’t wait to see what the girls bring this year,” Roach said.
The boys have their sights set on reaching the state meet, Roach said, despite Seckman having just one individual qualify since 2008 (Mike Hardway in 2013).
“They’re a good group of boys, and they worked so hard this summer,” Roach said. “They were running four or five days a week, and it shows.
“They want it. They’re right there, and they’re very confident, which helps. And if they have a bad race, they’re pretty down on themselves, which is amazing as a coach. It’s ‘I can do better, I can be better, coach,’ which is amazing to hear. They want to get better.”
Juniors Zach Reed and Nathan Key open the season as the top two runners. Reed placed 10th at Stan Nelson with a time of 16:41.04, while Key finished 18th in 17:02.8.
“They have been doing amazing,” Roach said. “They’ve been running against each other, and they’re really pushing each other to improve.”
Other varsity competitors include senior Ryan Hays, juniors Jacob Deuster and Matt Solovic and sophomore Timmy Maxwell. Roach said freshman Caleb White has really impressed, while sophomores Ethan Lawrence and Will Morris are a pair of junior varsity runners who could push for varsity opportunities.
“I can’t ask for a better team,” Roach said. “Attitude and ability-wise, I’m very happy.”
Lions search for next state qualifier
The Northwest boys cross country team has not had a state qualifier since Tyler Amick placed 135th in 2007.
Stymied by what head coach Ken Campbell called “a run of bad luck,” the Lions are hopeful that a few changes in approach will bring about changes in the results.
One change has the boys and girls teams working out separately.
Campbell, who for several years had been head coach of the entire cross country program, will focus solely on the boys team, while C.J. Guilford will lead the girls.
Another switch from the norm is in the teams’ schedules, as Campbell added a couple of enticing road trips, including the Brooks Twilight Meet in Memphis, a unique meet held under lights; the Rim Rock Meet at the University of Kansas, on what Campbell called “one of the nicest courses in the country;” and the Capitol City Invitational in Jefferson City, which will be held on the same Oak Hills Golf Course as the state championships.
“I’ve always tried to motivate the runners with trophies and things, but material stuff doesn’t mean the same as maybe when I was a kid, so I thought we would give them something tangible to shoot for, and so far, it seems like it’s worked pretty well,” said Campbell, who is in his 20th season with the program.
“Changing the mindset of the team was paramount this season, and part of that was changing the schedule. I’m the kind of person who has had the same schedule for 15 years, so the fact that things look so different, the fact that the boys and girls teams have been split up, everything’s changed this year, and I think the guys feel that shift, they feel that something is different, and hopefully that change carries over to the big meets.”
Sophomore Cody Poskin had the Lions’ best finish in Memphis on Sept. 2, placing 43rd with a time of 17:7.41, and Campbell said he expects Poskin to be one of the team’s top runners for the next three years. Poskin also paced Northwest during the Stan Nelson Invitational on Saturday, posting the team’s top time at 17:02.71 to place 17th.
“Cody really is a dynamite athlete who’s been working toward this for a number of years,” Campbell said. “We haven’t had a guy finish under 17 minutes for a few years now, and the fact that we have a sophomore who’s on the cusp of going under 17 and can make a push for state, that’s exciting.”
Another sophomore, Matt Waldman, ran 17:31.53 to place 32nd at Stan Nelson, and Campbell said Waldman has progressed much faster than anticipated.
“Matt’s just a hard worker, and he’s very determined to catch everyone who’s ahead of him,” Campbell said.
Senior Elvis Ambrocio opens the season as the No. 3 runner, and Campbell said he broke 18 minutes for the first time at Memphis with a time of 17:57.82. Ambrocio followed that up by placing 40th at Stan Nelson in 17:47.95.
“He’s somebody who has high goals, and he’s very motivated to be successful,” Campbell said.
Campbell said freshman Aaron Guss has “come out of nowhere” to compete for a spot on the varsity squad.
“He’s the real deal, and he’s only a freshman,” Campbell said.
Junior Aaron Konecnik is one of the team’s hardest workers who has also taken on a leadership role. Junior Daniel Nicholls has been training for an Ironman triathlon competition this weekend, but Campbell said he could wind up being a top three runner for the Lions once he gets into cross country shape. His younger brother, freshman David Nicholls, is a newcomer to cross country but Campbell said he could be a key member of the varsity by the end of the season. Sophomore Auggie Eimer and junior Joey Keller ran in Memphis and will likely compete for both the varsity and JV teams this season.
“We have a lot of guys who are really competing to get into those (varsity) spots, and right now I feel like we have depth,” Campbell said. “We’re moving in the right direction.”
Similarly, Guilford said he feels optimistic about the immediate and long-term futures for the girls contingent, and much of that is based on the promise of sophomores Claire Meisch and Audrey May.
“They’re both great kids with great leadership skills, a lot of fun to be around,” Guilford said. “The other kids flock to them, and it’s nice having your top two runners be natural leaders.”
Meisch was the Lions’ lone state qualifier last year, placing 64th in Jefferson City. Guilford said Meisch was a bit of a surprise last year, but she proved to be “the real deal” with a 12th-place finish at the Suburban Conference meet last October and is eager to build off what she accomplished. Meisch placed 12th at Stan Nelson with a time of 20:45.59.
“She’s pumped, she’s fired up, and she’s really focused on helping the other girls do their best as well,” Guilford said.
Guilford said that May was sidelined by a stress fracture early last season but has returned healthy and ready to join Meisch at the state meet. May placed 16th at Saturday’s meet, posting a time of 20:55.49.
“She’s feeding off of Claire,” Guilford said. “Audrey knows if Claire can do it, she can do it, and Claire is helping her get there.”
Junior Kaitlyn Bell and senior Rebekah Nicholls are both in their second year of cross country, and Guilford said they are already ahead of where they were last year. Senior Darby O’Donnell enters her fourth year of cross country, and Guilford said O’Donnell has pushed herself to become a good runner.
“I’m happy with where we’re at as a team,” Guilford said. “We’ve been able to increase our numbers, and I’ve already heard other kids talking about cross country who aren’t on the team, about the trips we’re going on, what we’re doing at practice, and we’re looking at continuing to increase our numbers over the next few years.”