By Moses Leos III
After a long season full of early mornings and long runs, both the Hays and Lehman cross country teams are gearing up for the district meet at Starke Park in Seguin on Thursday.
Both squads have been preparing for the meet, with several students primed to reach the state meet at Old Settlers Park on Nov. 9.
At Lehman, head coach Jay Sansom continues to work with a youthful, but up-and-coming group.
The battle toward district has been tough, but he ensures the team continues to work hard.
He has been impressed with the progression of Nick Wittkopp, the lead runner for the Lobos this year. Sansom says Wittkopp has a “good base,” and has the ability to use his speed to finish well at the end of a race.
“[Nick] is the most experienced runner that we have,” Sansom said. “He just needs to come out relaxed and run his race … he just has to be up in the top of the pack and race smart when it comes down to the last half mile of the race.”
For Hays, first year head coach Matt Wilke navigated his team to several strong finishes over the past few weeks. Wilke noted the consistency of the girls team, which has finished in the top five of nearly every one of their meets.
Leading the way for the girls team has been Esmi Fuentes, who recently posted a 13th place finish at the Georgetown Invitational at San Gabriel Park on Oct. 12 with a time of 19:36.
On the boys side, Esteban Villalpando has heralded success. He finished in second place at the Georgetown Invitational, finishing with a time of 16:08.
The team also saw strong performances from Jason Pead and Ken Belden at the Del Valle Invitational at the Southeast Metropolitan Park on Oct. 4. Pead earned a 5th place finish, and set a personal record by 20 seconds. Belden came in 13th place overall.
Wilke has worked hard with the teams for district meet preparation.
There is a chance Fuentes and Villalpando could make a run for State. Wilke has been comparing the best times across the district and state with his own athletes, and feels a good performance from both could project them onto that stage.
Ultimately, performing well at district is on the horizon. Seeing his students set personal records remains the larger goal.
“I’d like to see (our kids) go out there and break their own (personal records),” Wilke said. “If every kid does that, it will be a good day.”
