On July 22, Gabrielle Converse didn’t know a single runner in a Manhattan High uniform. That was the day her family moved from Lafayette, Indiana. She would be only days removed from unpacking boxes when she showed up at Warner Park for her first summer workout with the Indians.
Within minutes, the coaches noticed.
The new girl in town, running unfamiliar trails with unfamiliar faces, was suddenly holding pace with Manhattan’s top group. A mile and a half uphill, in Kansas heat, on her very first days.
A newcomer hadn’t just arrived. A program-changer had. The junior would finish the season with a third-place finish at state, leading Manhattan girls’ cross country to its first 6A title in a decade.
“It was really exciting,” Converse said. “I know as a team we had really big goals this year. Just going from Joplin onward, it was really cool to be able to work toward it and accomplish what we wanted to do. And we worked really hard.”
For her role in the team’s feat and much more, Gabrielle Converse is The Mercury’s Fall All-Flint Hills Female Athlete of the Year.
At the time, in late July, the move felt abrupt. One week, she was in Indiana; the next, her family was settling into a new home across the Midwest.
“I remember I started going to the summer practices, and I got to know the girls,” Converse said. “At first, it was a little bit difficult because I didn’t know anyone.”
What she didn’t know was that her arrival had caught the attention of head coach Susan Melgares almost immediately.
“We noticed that the first workout, a mile and a half uphill, she was right up there amidst some of the guys,” Melgares said. “There was her speed, but she’s also just a gritty runner, and she will push herself in the workouts. She wants more competition — she thrives on competition.
“I think that mindset, and that example, was contagious for our crew — not just the girls, the guys too.”
As quickly as she was running with Manhattan’s best, she was blending with them. The bond formed almost instantly.
“They were really welcoming when I came in,” Converse said. “They were talking to me and were really friendly. I’m really grateful to have come into a team like that. We have a lot of fun at practice. We know how to be serious and get work done, but we also have fun, which is really nice.”
Melgares saw that chemistry formed just as quickly.
“She fit right in with the girls that were here — very sweet women of high character all the way around — and she just added to that,” Melgares said. “It was really fun to see. I’ve been the new girl in high school; I’ve lived that. This is rare. This is a rare situation, and it just made it all the more rewarding to see them get along. I feel like they’ll be friends for a long, long time beyond this.”
On the trail, Converse didn’t just join Manhattan High’s lineup. She took the front of it.
Her first meet in Kansas was her first win in Kansas — an individual first-place finish at the home opener at Warner Park. Then came first at the Baldwin Invite. Then first at league. Then first at regionals.
Not to mention the historic performances.
Manhattan captured its first Southern Stampede championship since 2015 at the prestigious meet in Joplin, Missouri, where Converse finished fifth overall in 18:03.65 — breaking the school record.
Her favorite memory of the fall came during that same weekend.
“We had our overnight trip in Joplin, Missouri, which was a lot of fun,” she said. “We stayed in a hotel, and the course was a lot of fun — I think all of us got PRs. That was really cool, and we were happy.”
Manhattan High’s Gabrielle Converse runs next to Shawnee Mission East’s Charlotte Hardy at the 6A state cross country meet Nov. 1 at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence.
By the time the team reached September’s Rim Rock Classic — one of the toughest, most tradition-rich meets in the Midwest — Converse finished seventh overall and helped the Manhattan girls lift the trophy for the first time under Melgares.
Everything pointed toward an unforgettable finish line.
When the gun fired once again at Rim Rock for the Class 6A state race, Converse wasn’t just running for herself — she was running for a team chasing its first championship in 10 years.
After 18:51.49, she crossed the finish line and placed third overall. That’s when the emotions started to pour out.
“My initial reaction was, I was surprised — really surprised and happy,” Converse said. “It was cool to finish that high. And then getting to see my teammates finish one by one, cheering for them… and then we saw the results that we won, and we were all so happy, and we were crying and really happy.”
For as much joy as Saturday mornings brought her in a Manhattan uniform, Converse said the most important part of her week comes 24 hours later — sitting at church, grounding herself in the faith she carries to every starting line.
“Just to go back to church every Sunday — I’m so grateful for the gifts that God has blessed me with, and it’s really empowering,” Converse said. “Honestly, I want to be more than a runner — I want to be a child of God more than that, and it’s really special to have a relationship with Him.”
She is involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Manhattan High, in addition to track and cross country. Her faith is a grounding force that brings an apparent joy to her and those around her, such as her teammates.
Melgares said the Indians’ philosophy puts a high value on “enjoying the people on the team and being part of the team family,” which has played a key role in reaching their goals.
“They bought into ‘when the team is successful, we are all successful,’” Melgares said. “They put their individual best toward the team vision of winning the state. Each kid brought a different sort of impact, but they brought their best toward the team effort. And they have an honor now that’s going to be with them for their entire lives.”
Manhattan High’s Gabrielle Converse competes in the Manhattan Invitational Sept. 6 at Warner Park.
Melgares knows what that means. Her father used to tell her the same thing she now tells her team: “When you win state, they can’t take that away.”
Manhattan’s last title winner in 2015 used the motto, “A moment of pain for a lifetime of glory,” as motivation, which has jumped back in Melgares’ mind this year.
“These kids will have something that means a lot to them for their entire lives,” she said.
With a year left at MHS, Converse is already thinking big for a group that returns a handful of key contributors.
“I think we can set our sights on state again, which would be really neat,” she said. “Obviously, keep improving time-wise. Individually, place higher at state, which would be cool. But I’m excited for the young girls — they’re really good, they work really hard, and there’s going to be success for a while in Manhattan.”
What started as a move across the country turned into one of the most impactful individual seasons the Manhattan program has ever seen.
From a stranger at summer practice to the runner setting the pace for a state championship team, Gabrielle Converse didn’t just join Manhattan High — she elevated it to a state title.
THE MERCURY’S ALL-FLINT HILLS SELECTIONS
How we made our selections: We chose the teams from athletes who we felt represented the top level of the sport this past season. We considered coaches’ recommendations, statistics, class size and postseason success.
CROSS COUNTRY
Gabrielle Converse, junior, Manhattan
Zara Koehn, freshman, Manhattan
Isla Spreer, freshman, Manhattan
Andie Strathman, sophomore, Manhattan
Scarlett Williams, junior, Manhattan
Allison Knopp, freshman, Manhattan
Valeria Villoria, sophomore, Manhattan
Shayne Pittenger-Reed, sophomore, Wamego
Elsie Rickstrew, senior, Wamego
Colleen Murphy, freshman, Wamego
Caroline Brethour, sophomore, Wamego
Kayla Balver, sophomore, Wamego
Katie Shea, senior, Wamego
Zulia Wells, freshman, Wamego
Livia Nippert, junior, Rock Creek
Clare Buessing, freshman, Rock Creek
Lucia Nippert, junior, Rock Creek
Addisyn Gutsch, freshman, Riley County
Lily Carmona, sophomore, Wabaunsee
Adalynn Miller, junior, Wabaunsee
Brianna Eastman, sophomore, Wabaunsee
Leah Alderman, freshman, Wabaunsee
Kristina Gilbert, freshman, Wabaunsee
VOLLEYBALL
First team
Brynna Zoeller, senior, Rock Creek
Bailey Busch, junior, Manhattan
Ambree Portelli, senior, Rock Creek
Janie Hilgers, senior, Manhattan
Brooklyn Dye, senior, Rock Creek
Grace Zeller, junior, Wabaunsee
Talen Orton, junior, Wabaunsee
Lydia Dumler, junior, Blue Valley
Ryann Lanvardt, senior, Wamego
Natalie Hopper, junior, Riley County
Second team
Keeli Tepe, junior, Manhattan
Madison Stanard, junior, Manhattan
Sophia Peabody, junior, Manhattan
Ellie Prather, senior, Rock Creek
Lexi Hecht, senior, Wamego
Mia Meyer, senior, Wamego
Reese Michaelis, senior, Wabaunsee
Audrey Holle, sophomore, Riley County
Lilliana Blackledge, senior, Council Grove
Bryleigh Brockman, sophomore, Blue Valley
Honorable mention
Evie Ruliffson, junior, Manhattan
Ansley Becket, junior, Manhattan
Kylee Frazee, junior, Rock Creek
Aubrey McCarn, sophomore, Rock Creek
Kendall Mayer, sophomore, Wamego
Tehgan Kennedy, junior, Riley County
Katelyn Allison, senior, Riley County
Brynlyn Brockman, senior, Blue Valley
GOLF
Maddie Myers, junior, Manhattan
Kat Ball, senior, Manhattan
Lily Bahr, senior, Manhattan
Wrenn Burton, senior, Manhattan
Jessica Kim, senior, Manhattan
Alyse Yoxall, senior, Manhattan
Addison Douglass, senior, Wamego
Lillian Costa, junior, Wamego,
Hailey Honeycutt, senior, Wamego
Gentry McIntosh, sophomore, Wamego
Maizie Nickel, freshman, Wamego
Sophia Hellman, senior, Wamego
Makenna Wallace, junior, Rock Creek
Jovi Griffith, junior, Rock Creek
Alli Louquet, senior, Rock Creek
Jordyn Schneider, junior, Rock Creek
Reagan French, senior, Rock Creek
Elliot Barnes, sophomore, Rock Creek
Haylie Grant, senior, Council Grove
Makenzie Grant, senior, Council Grove
TENNIS
Keylee Schartz, senior, Manhattan
Jacque Hsu, senior, Manhattan
Tatum Vanderbilt, junior, Wamego
Emmie Denton, sophomore, Wabaunsee
Sarah Denton, senior, Wabaunsee
Ava Hurla, junior, Wabaunsee
Leah Schrader, junior, Wabaunsee
Talen Orton, junior, Wabaunsee
Zoey Stone, senior, Wabaunsee