Note: This is the full story from Oct. 12.
As the the cross country season is winding down, the Malcolm boys are starting to crank things up. The Clippers had perhaps their best performance of the season at the Oct. 6 Trailblazer Conference meet. In its first year in the new conference, Malcolm finished second in the seven school event.
With three medalists, the Clippers posted a team score of 38, eight points behind the conference champion, Plattsmouth.
Zane Zoucha was the first Malcolm runner to cross the finish line. The senior posted a personal best, 17:53 to earn the fifth place medal. His time was 36 seconds faster than his previous best.
“Zane is definitely stepping it up,” Malcolm coach Brie Pulec said. “He took the lead in the race at the very start and was willing to run aggressively. He was fearless from start to finish. It was great to see him run with that kind of confidence.”
Not far behind Zoucha were Bricen Wilkie and James Watts who placed eighth and ninth respectively with times of 18:09 for Wilkie and a personal best, 18:11 for Watts.
“The other boys went out and ran with Zane and had the kind of race we’ve known they had in them this whole time,” Pulec said. “They finally trusted their training and were mentally prepared to race.”
Joe Brockhaus and Alex Paider finished just outside of a medal with their 16th and 17th place marks.
After a season in which sickness and injuries often kept the team from performing at full strength, the results from the conference meet –– which contained four Class B schools –– gives the Clippers newfound confidence heading into Class C districts.
“This is definitely the healthiest and the strongest they’ve been all season,” Pulec said. “We have a few aches we’re still working through, but, now that they know what they can do, I have a feeling they won’t let a whole lot stop them from racing. They can get to state. I absolutely feel that in my bones.”
With a team score of 107, the Malcolm girls finished seventh in the conference meet. While the competition was tough, the Clippers did show improvement as four of the six runners posted personal best times.
Karter Kinkaid ran the fastest race of her career as she placed 20th with a time of 24:29.
“It was great to see Karter run in the 24s again,” Pulec said. “It would be great to get her into the 23s this week. I know she has it in her.”
Paige Westerbuhr, Maya Semerad and Mia Larsen also turned in personal best times.
Malcolm competes in the C-1 District Meet Thursday afternoon at the Auburn Country Club. Amongst the strong teams Included in the field are Lincoln Christian, Lincoln Lutheran, Milford and Syracuse. The boys race at 4:30 with the girls scheduled to start at 5:15.
