Spire Sunset Showdown Recap

Leavenworth, Kan. – Results | With the opening of the cross country racing season, the Pioneers crossed the Kansas River to take on nationally ranked teams at the University of St. Mary's Spires Sunset Showdown. For some on the team, it would be their first collegiate race as well as new head coach Tommy Baker's Pioneer debut. Coach Baker, a Spire's alumnus, knew the course very well, preparing the Pioneers for tough uneven terrain with plenty of hills. Along with the tough course, the Pioneers had to battle the heat, and as mentioned, strong competition.
 
Stepping up to the challenge first, the Pioneer women toed the line with top twenty ranked teams in St. Mary and Heart of America Conference rival Benedictine. The Spires and Ravens were stacked, even though the Ravens did not have all their top runners racing. It would be a battle, and the Pioneers were ready for the fight.
 
In the first mile, the Ravens and Spires set the tone as the teams to beat with the Pioneers battling for the third place position with Friends. Isabella Meili was the first to cross the mile marker with teammate Anna McKnight only seconds back. Both were in the top fifteen, surrounded by Benedictine and St. Mary. Riley Filmore led the next group of Pioneers with Julia Searengin and Bailey Cook eight seconds back. Like Meili and McKnight, this group of Pioneers saw no shortage of Spire and Raven competitors. Roughly twenty seconds back, Kalana Smittick turned the corner to climb the hill at the mile marker as she closed in on a Friends competitor. Another twenty seconds back, Josephine McClung had her sights on a pack of opponents from Benedictine and Friends.
 
At mile two, the host team of St. Mary held a twelve-point lead over a team which is known to run races in a progressive manner, the Benedictine Ravens. The race for the top team was still up for grabs. Meanwhile, Meili had moved into the top ten with McKnight holding tight to a Benedictine competitor at sixteenth. Swearengin, in her usual style, started moving up, clinging to a Raven. Filmore was in a pack a few seconds back as she held the thirtieth spot. Cook, in her first college race, had slipped back, but had her eyes set on the next opponent while fighting off a Friends competitor a second behind her. Smittick was climbing through the ranks as she closed in on her teammate, Cook, only a few seconds ahead. McClung continued to fight, placing a Hastings opponent within striking distance.
 
In the final stretch, the Spires of St. Mary were able to hold off the charging Ravens of Benedictine by only one point. Led by Meili, who placed in the top ten, the Pioneers grabbed the third team place position with an eleven-point cushion over Friends.
 
On a day where times were considerably slower than in the past, most likely due to the heat, Meili was able to equal her previous course best time while Filmore grabbed a six second improvement on the course. Overall, it was a strong race for the Pioneers with each member of the team who had run this race in 2024, placing higher in the individual standings.
 
Next up on the course, the Pioneer men would have a similar battle with a nationally ranked St. Mary team and a perennial Heart of America Conference leader in Benedictine. The Pioneer men were up for the challenge and ready to test their abilities.
 
Rounding the corner for the first mile, St. Mary quickly established themselves as the team to beat, with six in the top eight places. The first Benedictine pack started around twentieth place as they appeared to be holding down the team runner-up spot. In the back of the Benedictine pack, Aidan Scherman led the Pioneers in twenty-fourth with Jacob Hendrickson close behind and Gavin Williams trying to hold onto Hendrickson. Ray Kosgei was only four seconds behind Williams while Ken Morgan, who had twisted his ankle earlier, rounded out the top five Pioneers, nine seconds back. The athletes streamed by quickly with Josiah Robinson driving through a pack of Benedictine Ravens. Jackson Elsey was next but was in what is often known as "No man's land". Elsey was running alone, a tough position to hold. Bryson DeLong, in his first collegiate race, was out quick, but also found himself alone, trying to stay focused with no one to push him.
 
At the 5k mark, St. Mary had 5 athletes in the top ten spots. Though Benedictine had moved a couple Ravens into the top 8, the Spires had a strong lead in the team scoring. Meanwhile, Scherman continued to lead the Pioneers as he split Raven and Spire opponents. Hendrickson had lessened the gap between Scherman as he strode alongside a Spire harrier. Hendrickson was well within striking distance of Scherman, available to support his teammate, should the teammate falter. Williams had lost contact with Hendrickson but had both Friends and Benedictine competitors to drive him forward. At the same time, Kosgei was surrounded by four harriers as he fought to keep pace. Robinson followed with a strong uphill to catch a Sterling opponent before taking the final lap. Unfortunately, both Elsey and DeLong were running alone. With no one to push or pull them along, driving became harder, though neither gave up.
 
In the end, St. Mary proved to be untouchable as they won with a seventeen-point spread, followed by Benedictine. With a hard fought battle, the Pioneer men grabbed the fifth place at the meet, just behind Hastings and ahead of Sterling.