Wellington boys cross country team qualifies for state for 2nd consecutive year
WHS Cross Country team places 2nd at Chanute Regional. (Click to enlarge)
by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow – Last year, it was a trivia question that had people scratching their heads. When was the last time a Wellington cross-country team qualified for State? The answer then: 1989.
This year the question is easy: last year. Next year the answer will be 2022.
For the second consecutive year, the Wellington boys cross country qualified as a team after placing second at the Class 4A Regional in Chanute.
Hunter Lough, Ryan Bacon, Luke Wylie, Connor Walker, Rome Hunt, Zander Strader, and Jaxson Irey are headed to the Class 4A state cross-country meet at the Wamego Country Club next Saturday.
Taylor Earl placed 11th for the girls and will be representing Wellington as well.
The Wellington boys finished with 69 points. Winfield won the meet with a 30 score. Other placers include Chanute 76, Iola 94, Fort Scott 110, Field Kindley 148, and Labette County 153 (see full results here).
Although this is the second consecutive year to qualify for Wellington, this was a much better performance as Wellington finished third in 2021.
The top five runners determine team scores on a team. Scoring is based on where you finish and if you are in the top five of your team of the five-member squad.
Hunter Lough, a senior, finished fourth with a 17:58.19, behind three top Winfield runners. He scored 4 points for Wellington.
The other four Wellington placers include:
•Ryan Bacon, senior, 18:52.40, 14th (14th team score);
•Luke Wylie, freshman, 18:59.77, 15th (15th);
•Connor Walker, junior, 19:00.09, 16th (16th);
•Rome Hunt, sophomore, 19:41.12, 22nd (2oth);
Two other Wellington runners were:
•Zander Strader, sophomore, 20:02.59, 23rd (21st);
•Jaxson Irey, senior, 20:59.21, 20:59.21 34th (31st).
In the girls’ division, Earl, a sophomore, finished 11th with a time of 22:44.31.
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