Helias Catholic senior Paige Loethen of Linn closed her high school cross country career with an 11-place finish at the Class 3 State Championships on Friday at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, earning All-State honors with a time of 19:31.3.

The finish represented a significant improvement over her junior season, when she placed 32nd, just two positions outside All-State recognition. For Loethen, who had struggled with confidence despite her success on the course, the achievement was particularly meaningful.

“After last year, I was really disappointed to come close, but just come up short,” Loethen said. “My coach told me at the beginning of the season that her number-one goal for me was to get All-State, and I really didn’t think that I could do it because I’ve always struggled with believing in myself.”

With encouragement from her Helias coach Leslie Verslues and teammates, Loethen turned that uncertainty into a senior season featuring four individual victories, a district runner-up finish, and an All-State medal.

“Getting that 11-place finish was just like the icing on the cake,” she said. “It was really an awesome way to finish out my senior year, and I couldn’t have asked anyone better to do it with, and any better coaches to train with.”

Verslues said Loethen’s improvement was the result of considerable work outside the regular season, particularly during the summer.

Verslues first coached Loethen as a sophomore after she transferred from Linn, but a stress fracture ended that season early. She returned to competitive form as a junior before making another significant improvement this fall.

“She did a ton of long-distance training over the summer, running on her own because she lives in Linn, and coming to our team practices,” Verslues said. “She just worked her tail off all summer long.”

The results were evident when the season began. Verslues noticed greater speed and a stronger finishing kick, qualities that continued developing as Loethen gained confidence.

“She was beating people that she had previously struggled to even stay with,” Verslues said.

Loethen’s season included victories at the Smith-Cotton Invitational on Sept. 19, Ha Ha Tonka Invitational on Oct. 2, Capital City Invitational on Oct. 10, and the Fatima Invitational on Oct. 24. She also placed second at the Central Missouri Activities Conference championship and the Class 3 District 3 meet, helping the Lady Crusaders win the district team title.

One result that appeared out of place was her 26th-place finish at Gans Creek on Sept. 26, where she ran 19:31, almost identical to her state championship time. Verslues explained that the placement reflected the competition rather than Loethen’s performance.

Helias had requested placement in the division with schools of comparable enrollment but was instead assigned to a field dominated by Class 4 and Class 5 programs.

“It was a really great race for her, but we were competing against all the biggest schools,” Verslues said, adding that Loethen finished just one position outside the medals. “That one was up there amongst her best races still.”

Loethen also pointed to weather conditions as an important factor throughout the season. Extensive summer training had helped her adapt to the heat, while the colder conditions at the state meet presented a different challenge. “We had trained so hard at the beginning of the season, adapting to the heat, and I think that really became my strong suit,” she said.

Her victory at Fatima carried additional significance. Having grown up in Osage County and attending Linn before transferring to Helias, Loethen welcomed the opportunity to compete against former teammates and demonstrate how far she had progressed.

“I was really excited to go out there and kind of show what I’ve done, how I’ve grown, and what I can do at this point,” she said.

Beyond her individual achievements, Loethen viewed her senior season as an opportunity to lead by example. She said the responsibility motivated her to work harder, even when she placed considerable pressure on herself.

“For me, being a leader is leading by example, not just by words,” she said. “I knew that I had to push hard if I wanted to show my team that they could also achieve great things in the future.”

Loethen will continue competing in distance events during the spring track season, including the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs.

For Verslues, the All-State finish was a fitting reward for an athlete whose dedication helped transform her potential into results. “She deserves it,” Verslues said. “She’s such an awesome kid.”