FULTON — Chamois, Fatima, and Linn cross county runners had their sights set on the top 30 and punching a ticket to the upcoming 2024 Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Cross Country Championships this weekend in Columbia at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course.

To get to run at Gans Creek, Osage County harriers first had to finish in the top 30 during their respective MSHSAA Class 1-3, District 3 meets at Fulton High School.

Once all six races were contested, 16 cross country runners from within the county qualified for state.

Fatima’s Comets and Lady Comets got the first chance on the course during the Class 3 races.

Placing fourth as a team with 127 points, the Lady Comets will send all seven of their runners to Gans Creek.

Earning All-District honors for the Lady Comets with their top-30 finishes were Brie Massman (8, 20:09.02), Heidi Struemph (9, 20:36.49) and Melissa Verslues (22, 21:23.92).

“Our girls ran very well, passing as many runners as possible to ensure their bid to the state meet,” said Coach Marc Bridges. “Our district is very tough. Last year, the girls placed fourth at districts and then fifth at state a week later. If you are able to get through this district as an individual or as a team, you have a chance at the state meet.”

Joining the All-District trio as state qualifiers for the Lady Comets are Anna Rakestraw (39, 23:01.57), Karly Bock (64, 24:11.76), Jaidyn McCann (79, 25:22.07), and Lily Gregory (105, 29:15.89).

The girls run at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday.

One lone Comet cemented his spot at Gans Creek this Saturday as Michael Gabelsberger will represent Fatima in Columbia following his eighth-place time of 17:20.28 in the Class 3, District 3 boys race at Fulton.

“Michael ran a solid race, and I look for him to compete for an All-State medal on Saturday,” said Bridges, noting that Gabelsberger will run at 11:15.

Wyatt Dake (36, 18:36.25), Wyatt Gabelsberger (42, 18:41.38), Zachary Kloeppel (49, 19:01.01), Trenton Kampeter (51, 19:05.81), Zack Eisterhold (61, 19:20.82), and Trenton Orscheln (63, 19:23.54) also helped the Comets place sixth as a team with 177 points.

“Our boys have a young squad, and with five of our seven runners being sophomores, we have a chance to use this district as motivation in the future,” said Bridges.

Linn’s Wildcats and Lady Wildcats were next on the course at Fulton during the Class 2 boys and girls races.

The freshmen duo of Genna Haslag and Charli Lenger will finish their first season of high school cross country at the state meet.

Haslag extended her freshman season by another week following a 21st-place time of 22:41.03. “Genna set a goal at the beginning of the season to make it to the state meet as a freshman,” said Coach Robyn Baker. “She has worked hard all season, and this was a fun race to watch her achieve her goal. There was a large group of racers to start with, and Genna made sure to be in the front of the pack.”

Lenger will join her after she placed 28th in a time of 23:20.25, just over three seconds ahead of the 30th-place runner. “Charli never gave up during the race, and it paid off with a chance to run at the state meet on Saturday,” said Baker. “She started the race well, but it was a large pack at the beginning, putting her in about 35th place. As the race progressed, she continued to run smart and moved up one person at a time, which is what we encourage in each race.”

Placing eighth as a team with 190 points, the Lady Wildcats also had Elyse Brandt (51, 24:45.85), Kylie Messenger (71, 25:50.17), Emerson Bowser (86, 28:31.53), and April Everett (100, 32:07.44). “Elyse ran a great race, and though she didn’t make it out of districts, she ended her season on a high note. Her start wasn’t quite what we had worked on, but she picked up her pace as the race went on and used running surges at key times. She ran her season-best time, and I’m excited to see her continue to improve next year. Kylie has been working really hard this week in practice, and she knew getting out of districts was going to be a challenge. She didn’t make it out but finished the season better than she started, and I know she will be motivated to get to state next year.

“Emerson has been struggling in the last few races, but this one was her season-best time, and she was fun to watch in this race,” Baker continued. “She stayed strong the entire race, and though she started toward the back, she worked her way up the entire race. Emerson is going to be a really good senior leader next year, and ending the season this way will improve her confidence going forward. April came out for cross country to help her condition during volleyball and get her ready for track. We set a goal at the beginning of the season that she was going to finish a race in under 35 minutes. She beat that in the first race and has continued to run well under that in each race consistently. I am proud of how well she ran in this race and finished her season, and I look forward to her breaking that 30-minute mark next year.”

The Lady Cats will run at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

In the Class 2 boys race, the Wildcats placed 13th as a team with 341 points, led by Jackson Hamburg’s 67th-place time of 20:27.31.

“Our boys team is young, and though none made it out, I am proud of how far they have come this season,” said Baker. “I can’t wait to see what they accomplish over the summer and into next season. Jackson ran his second-best race of the season, and he was strong the entire race. He is learning with each race to lead this pack of boys, and it was good to see our top three so close together with Jackson in the lead.”

Other Wildcats on the course for Linn were Isaiah Franken (69, 20:30.30), Vince Tschappler (70, 20:32.47), Reid Baker (88, 21:31.25) and Dawson Sprenger (109, 23:25.27).

“Isaiah got off to a slow start, but he found another gear to move up and found his way right behind Jackson,” Baker noted. “He has great stamina and is going to be a great runner through high school. Vince is very time-goal-oriented, and he continues to get close to his sub-20 goal. He was consistent in his mile times and made this one of his best races of the season. Vince will use this season to motivate him to work hard during the off-season. Reid ran his personal best time, and it was good to see him look comfortable running and have a great push at the end of the race. I have said for the last two years he needed a team to run with, and having that this year helped him improve tremendously. Dawson is a competitor to the core, and this race was not exactly how he wanted to finish. However, he has gotten so much stronger as a runner this season, and he is an asset to our team in practices and races. Dawson has the potential to be a top runner through high school. I look so forward to seeing all of these guys back next year and know they will be a competitive team.”

Chamois runners capped a long day of racing at Fulton for Osage County.

Edging Clopton’s Hawks by five points, Chamois finished with a team score of 112 for fourth place in the Class 1, District 3 boys team standings, allowing all five Pirates to advance to the state meet.

Caleb Keilholz led the Chamois quintet with a fourth-place time of 18:13.46. “Caleb ran a really good race in a strong field of runners,” said Coach John Leach.

Joining Keilholz in Columbia will be Pirate teammates Kaden Wuelling (39, 20:49.85), Bill Kirsch (40, 20:50.15), Evert Mehmert (43, 20:59.76) and Grayson Gerloff (60, 22:06.24).

“The guys did a great job with three of them finishing in the 20s,” said Leach. “I’m very proud of the boys’ team for going back to state for the second straight year.”

The Pirates will compete at 11:15 a.m. on Friday.

Emma Mehmert positioned herself for another week of practice after crossing the finish line in an 18th-place time of 24:11.87 to secure her spot in the Class 1 girls’ race at 9:45 on Friday. “Emma pushed herself and had a solid race,” said Leach. “She did a great job.”

Mehmert has qualified for state for the second straight year.