Through this weekend’s rainy and muddy conditions across the state, Manhattan High’s cross country teams delivered one of their most impressive performances of the season — sweeping both regional championships Saturday at Wichita East to punch their tickets to the Class 6A state meet.
“It was a wild, wet, cold and very muddy day at Wichita,” head coach Susan Melgares said in a statement. “Our kids came to play. They ran very tough to qualify both teams to the state meet.”
The top-ranked Indians’ girls once again set the tone, placing five runners inside the top seven to win the regional title by a 36-point margin. Gabrielle Converse led the charge with another commanding victory, running 19:14.79 to secure the individual crown ahead of teammates Zara Koehn (second, 19:35.78) and Isla Spreer (third, 19:45.92).
Andie Strathman (sixth, 20:32.68) and Allison Knopp (seventh, 20:33.49) rounded out the scoring five as Manhattan posted an eye-popping team total of 19 points — a dominant showing against a field that included Washburn Rural and Lawrence Free State.
On the boys’ side, sixth-ranked Manhattan captured the team championship in dramatic fashion, edging Centennial League rival Washburn Rural on a tiebreaker after both squads finished with 62 points. The win marked Manhattan’s second consecutive postseason team title and underscored its depth and balance.
Jaxon Wheeler paced the Indians with a sixth-place finish in 17:50.17, followed closely by Benjamin Huser (ninth, 17:57.66) and Patrick Huser (10th, 17:58.24). Wilson Wesch (17th, 18:17.35) and Levi Gurgel (20th, 18:21.14) rounded out the scoring five, while Kyler Grogg (24th, 18:34.75) and Will Richards (27th, 18:40.97) provided the crucial sixth-runner edge that sealed the tiebreaker.
The sweep continued Manhattan’s postseason dominance, following a perfect-score performance for the girls at the Centennial League Championships the week prior.
Both teams will compete next at the KSHSAA Class 6A State Championships, set for Saturday, Nov. 1 at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence — a return to one of the state’s most historic courses where the Indians will aim to cap a remarkable season.