Park Hill sophomore Natalie Gerdes finished in 16th place with a time of 18:37 to set a Trojan school record in the Class 5 State Race.
The Park Hill and Park Hill South cross-country teams sent three total runners to the Class 5 State Meet on Nov. 5 at Columbia, MO.
Park Hill’s only state qualifier Natalie Gerdes finished in 16th place with a time of 18:37. The sophomore made her second straight appearance to state and improved from her time last year when she was a freshman and ended the race in 51st place with a time of 19:58.
Not only did Gerdes finish the state race faster than she did in 2020, but the Trojan sophomore also broke her own Park Hill school record. Gerdes originally broke the record in October with a time of 19:01, but the previous record was 19:29 set by Kim Rau in 2010.
Ella Conklin was the only Park Hill South girl runner to qualify for the Class 5 State Cross-Country Meet. The junior finished the 5K in 19:58 - which was two seconds faster than her state appearance in 2020 - earning 78th place out of 163 total girl runners.
Tyler Clippard wrapped up his Panther cross-country career by crossing the finish line in 16:35. The senior finished in 80th place overall out of 159 runners.