Kimball runners return from state with pleased coaches

Coaches Tiffany Johnson and Laurie Janicek said they had an overall great year with the Longhorn Cross Country team.

"We are super proud of how our runners performed all season long. Our runners continued to improve each meet and were willing to work hard in practice," Johnson said. "Each meet they had goals and wanted to beat their previous best times and were upset when that didn't happen."

Three runners qualified for state this year.

Zachery Wagner returned for his third state meet after a season ending injury last year.

Johnson said that Wagner didn't place quite as well as he would have liked to, but nonetheless, he ran well and finished off a great year.

He placed 49th out of 143 runners and ran an 18:48, but his best time this season was 17:39 and it moved him into the 7th place in Kimball's overall records.

"He had a fabulous year and we will miss his hardworking and positive attitude next year," Johnson said. "He was a great leader."

Teammate Thomas Lenzen qualified for state for the first time as an individual, though as a sophomore he went with the boys' team.

"Thomas didn't run quite as well as he had hoped to, but he finished the year on a positive note. He placed 62nd out of 143 and ran a 19:03," Johnson added. "We will miss his encouragement of the younger runners next season."

Freshman Chantel Malson was the sole lady to run the state course for the Kimball team and according to coach Johnson, she was taken aback by the hilly course.

"She finished 47th out of 144 and her time was 22:14. She ran a great race for the first time being on that course," Johnson said. "Chantel had a wonderful year, taking the top freshman spot and the third overall spot with a 21:32. We look forward to having her back next year and seeing what the future holds for her."

"We will definitely miss our group of seniors who were always encouraging the younger ones to do their best," the coaches added. "Their leadership and determination will be hard to replace."