On a wet and muddy course, the Southeast Lancers competed at the 2A Regional meet held in Richmond, Kansas. 

After a long day and night of rain, the Lady Lancers stepped to the line, already drenched by the steady rain. Avoiding the most slippery of spots, splashing through ankle deep puddles, and dodging falling runners, the three Lancers finished the race muddied but safe.

“The conditions weren’t great to run on, and it was already a tough course. But it wasn’t that bad during the run. It was like an ice bath, your body sort of got numb, and you didn’t feel it anymore,” Rimmer said.

Kendyl Renn finished the race in a time of 22:22 and in 15th place. The senior becomes the first girl from Southeast to qualify since 2016.

“I got out hard in the first mile, and it was a muddy mess. With how cold it was, I told myself that the faster I run, the faster I’m done, so I tried to stay with the Kansas City Christian girls. Staying with that pack, I was able to punch my ticket to State,” Renn said. 

Rimmer finished 27th in 23:44, and Jackie Robinson finished 30th in 24:06.

The boy’s team came up short on their bid to qualify as one of the top three teams. They finished fifth behind four of the other top nine teams in 2A. 

“The three teams that were vying for that final qualifying spot today – Jefferson North, Colgan, and Southeast – all ran well. I’m curious to see what the results at State will look like. I might have to say that what took place here today was a State-like quality race,” Coach Julie Jones said.

Though the team did not qualify, two individuals did. Zayne Gabern placed 8th in 17:57, and Tucker Sutton finished 10th in 18:32. Chris Archey was 18th in 19:27;  Hudson Locke was 21st in 19:37; Kayden Utley was 44th in 21:57; Henry Burns was 52nd in 22:58; and Michael Smith was 24:39.

The weather and course conditions were nothing new for the two qualifiers. Gabern and Sutton ran in similar conditions in October of 2024.

“I took a gander at the course and noticed it looked like the swamp off of Shrek, which reminded me of State last year. With that, I thought, ‘Been there, done that’, but I wasn’t anticipating that the mud would be so taxing on my legs. I worked to stay mentally strong,” Sutton said.

Gabern wasn’t as worried about the conditions, as he felt he could move through it well in his spikes.

“The happiest I was in the race was in the back area that was extremely sloshy. That was one area where I felt I could maintain speed better than others,” the senior said.

The three qualifiers will compete at Wamego Country Club Golf Course on Saturday, Nov. 1. The boys race starts at 11:10am, while the girls race will go at 12:55pm.