Cross-Country Roundup: Clayton Among Multiple St. Louis-Area State Qualifiers

isn't the only St. Louis-area school with a cross-country team headed to state competition this weekend. Here's how the Greyhounds and other nearby teams made it this far.

Clayton boys team wins district title; seven athletes place

Clayton won the Class 3 District 4 title at Warrenton High School. Clayton coach Curtis Werner said that he was “happy to be competing with schools like , and Festus.” Clayton’s Matthew Garrett, a junior, placed fifth (17:56); senior Matthew Millet placed eighth (18:08); junior Jake Bernstein placed ninth (18:18); sophomore Jake Hodapp placed 12th (18:28); senior Derrick Stone placed 15th (18:30); senior Dan Pipert placed 16th (18:31); and senior Caleb Grady placed 17th (18:31).

Ladue boys and girls win Suburban East Conference

Ladue’s girl’s cross-country team won the Class 3 District 2 Tournament at to qualify for state as a team. Like De Smet, Ladue’s girls carried over the season’s success into the postseason by winning the Suburban East Conference this fall. Class 4 teams and individuals compete in a district and sectional meet on the way to state while Class 1 through Class 3 teams compete only in a district meet.

Coach Matt Strayhorn said competitive meets such as the Forest Park Cross Country Festival in St. Louis and the Richmond Springs Invitational in Peoria, Ill. played a more important role then the league in the post-season success. Anna Nelson, a junior won a district championship at Jefferson Barracks with a time of 20:11.

“Anna is our leader,” Strayhorn said. “She’s had a wonderful season and was very strong at both Forest Park and Peoria.”

Also for Ladue, sophomores Katie White and Eva Klingenberg placed third and 12th with times of 20:30 and 21:02, and senior Emily Warner placed 15th (21:40).

Ladue’s boy’s cross-country team, which won a state title last year, qualified for state as a team by placing second at the Class 3 District 2 Tournament at Jefferson Barracks. Like the girls, the boys also won the Suburban East Conference. Although Ladue earned the district title, coach Suzanne Person said the district “was probably the worst performance of the season.” She said that senior Cody Medler was sick when he competed and that her team hoped to do better in state this year. 

Sophomore Drew Hutchens placed fourth for Ladue at the district. Also for Ladue, Medler placed eighth, senior Phillip Soncasie placed ninth, George Garner placed 16th, Colin Cernik placed 15th, Daniel Lloyd placed 20th and Chad Chpnik placed 33rd.

University City's Hudson shoots from 37th to 15th for qualifying time

University City’s boys and girls team also had state qualifiers last weekend. Like Clayton, the boy’s and girl’s teams competed in the Class 3 District 4 Tournament at Warrenton. For the boys team, junior Karlin Barnes placed 6th with a time of 18:06 and Conner Crowe placed 14th with a time of 18:25.

For the girls team, Eliana Hudson placed 15th with a time of 21:50. University City coach James Crowe said Hudson had to play catchup because she had been in 37th place after the first mile.

“Whatever we do this weekend will be a bonus,” Crowe said. “If we could put some runners in the top 50 spots, that would be really nice.”

De Smet places second in Metro Catholic Conference

’s cross-country team established a record of success that extended into the postseason last weekend.

De Smet placed second in the Metro Catholic Conference behind St. Louis University High this fall and on Saturday it placed fourth in the Class 4 Sectional No. 1 at to qualify for state as a team. The top four teams in each sectional qualify for state in Class 4 competition.

“We went out at a smart pace,” De Smet coach Bryan Praughber said. “We passed several runners along the way to walk away with a top four finish.”  

Senior Nick Martini placed 15th for De Smet with a time of 15:46. Also for De Smet, Austin Del-Rosso placed 28th (15:58), Matt O’Connor placed 33rd  (17:08), Collin Sullivan placed 34th (17:09), John Waller placed 42nd (17:32), Michael Callahan placed 46th (17:34) and Stephen Plassmeyer placed 54th  (17:43).

Three Westminster Christian runners head to state

’s boys and girls team competed in the Class 3 District 2 Tournament at Jefferson Barracks. The boys qualified one runner—junior Reagen Bykhouse, who placed 12th with a time of 17:49. Westminster coach Ken Boesch said Bykhouse “worked hard all summer.” Boesch also said the junior performed above his seed because he had held a No. 15 seed in the district. The top 15 individual placers in each Class 3 district qualify for the state tournament as individuals.

The girls team qualified two runners. Laura Tarantino placed fifth and Adrienne Kaup placed 13th with times of 20:28 and 21:03. 

Leg surgery doesn't stop CBC qualifier Helt

CBC junior Jake Helt also qualified for the state tournament. He placed 14th in the Class 4 Sectional 1 Tournament at Parkway Central High School with a time of 16:45. The top 30 runners in Class 4 sectional competition qualify for state.

CBC coach Barney Sill said Helt didn't get to start training until late summer because of leg surgery in June. The athlete has shown a lot of determination to do well this season, Sill said.