TBD, KS — Great Bend, Kansas October 25, 2025 Link to Race Results: https://milesplit.live/meets/698529 Photos posted on Regional Event Page on Blast Athletics. Photos taken by our very own runner Connor Howard! He did a great job! Today our Varsity Runners competed in the Regional Cross-Country Championship in Great Bend, Kansas! Going into Regionals the Lions had goals of qualifying for the State Cross Country meet, running personal records, and having fun! Our last practice of the week I brought up a movie clip from my all-time favorite Cross-Country movie "McFarland USA." If you have not seen the movie I would highly recommend it. In the movie the head coach says "You kids have some of the biggest hearts I've ever seen. Now go run your race." Today’s racing conditions were brutal on the Lions as it was very cold with downpouring rain throughout the entire meet. The Lions did not let the conditions affect them; they ran with a ton of heart today and posted some excellent race times! It was going to be very hard for us to beat our personal records ran at league, but the kids left regionals with some amazing memories racing in the rain and our freshmen experiencing what postseason competition is all about. After the meet, the team enjoyed burgers, fries, and shakes at Bogeys in Hutchinson, KS with smiles and laughter all around reflecting on a great season. We have an amazing team and amazing kids we all should be proud of. It was a wonderful season for our team with a lot of growth, maturity, and new leadership displayed by our runners as the season progressed. Race times and results did not come easy for our team early on in the season with many of our returning runners far off from their personal records ran from previous years. There were growing pains along the way for our team as we reestablished our identity/leadership after losing last years’ seniors. The Lions responded in a tremendous way with all of our runners finishing the season with personal records ran at our League meet and showcasing their desire to perform at their best at Regionals. The future is extremely bright for our team as we return almost all runners and only graduate two seniors. Just a little something for all returning runners to ponder, below are the State Qualifying times for the last runner to qualify for the State Meet: • Girls: 21:31 (6:45 – 7:00 pace per mile) • Boys: 18:15 (5:45 – 6:00 pace per mile) These are paces we will train to run next season through continued improvement during track season in the spring and summer conditioning next year. This season I can confidently say we got every last minute/second out of each one of our runners and everyone ran to their full potential this season. We gave it our absolute best and had many notable accomplishments along the way! Today was filled with many emotions as more runners completed their last race of their season/career, but today was also filled with much joy and excitement as Goddard will be sending Levi Brownell to the State Cross Country Meet! This is the third year in a row we have sent at least one runner to the State Cross Country Meet! Levi more than earned his spot at State. The amount of determination, grit, and unwavering desire to reach his goals this season is admirable. At the beginning of the season, Levi had a goal of reaching the State meet, but the path to get there was not easy. His first race, with a time of 19:43, was a little off of his personal best he had last season. He did not let that discourage him, but motivate him to push harder during practice. Levi stayed patient and trusted that the hard work he put in at practices would pay off and faster times would come. His perseverance has paid off. By the end of the season, Levi has taken off more than two minutes from his first race time, running an impressive 17:17 at League and a strong 18:00, in some tougher weather conditions, to reach the State meet. His journey is a perfect example of how setting goals, hard work, and consistency can lead to success. Levi’s leadership has made him a role model for his teammates and a core runner for the team. We couldn’t be prouder of how he’s ran so far this season. Levi is only a junior and we can’t wait to see how he grows as a runner, a leader, and as a young man. Levi, we are all cheering you on as you race next weekend at the Kansas State Cross Country Meet. Regionals was filled with many memories experienced noted below: 1. Riding a trailer into the meet with the rain pouring down on the team. 2. Girls and BOYS wearing glitter/hair paint for the race. 3. Ellis Martin running our lone personal record on the day with a time of 20:17! Despite being unable to run at the League Cross Country meet he came back at Regionals and set a PR in the pouring rain! 4. Team meal at Bogeys in Hutchinson, KS 5. And countless more with the rain! This will be a race to remember Lions. Today marked the end of Senior Brendan Martling’s high school cross country journey, and what a journey it’s been. From early morning practices to the final finish line, he’s shown heart, commitment, and a love for the sport that’s inspired everyone around him. While his time competing for our team has come to an end, the impact he’s made will last well beyond this season. We’re incredibly proud of all he’s accomplished and grateful for the example he’s set for future runners. Congratulations on an amazing career, Brendan! Notably I would also like to mention fellow Senior Cole Bennington. Cole’s season unfortunately ended sooner than we would have liked due to injury. Cole ran his final race at Buhler setting a Season best time of 24:19. Cole leaves behind a legacy of hard work, positivity, and team spirit. Cole was the kind of teammate every coach and runner appreciates — always giving his all, pushing through challenges, and encouraging those around him to do their best. His energy and humor, perfectly captured by his favorite quote “Ka-Chow!” from Lightning McQueen, brought joy to every meet and practice. We’re so proud of everything Cole has accomplished and can’t wait to see what he does next after graduation. Thank you, Cole. For those wanting to travel to Rim Rock Farm to support Levi, I will be getting the race itinerary sent out soon. Rim Rock Farm is a breath-taking Cross-Country venue and is considered one of the best cross-country courses in the United States. It is worth the drive to see and experience. All runners please return all checked out uniforms/cold weather gear to Coach Andrews by October 30th so we may complete end of season inventory. Please keep an eye out for end of season banquet information. Information will be sent out after the conclusion of the State Cross Country meet. GO LIONS! Coach Andrews/Coach Womacks