Park Hill South’s Thomas Garrett broke the program 5k record in 2022.
Park Hill South has some young, talented runners with a high ceiling ahead of this fall’s cross-country season.
Sophomores Melanie Puszczak, Madi Conklin and Thomas Garrett all made it to state a year ago. Garrett broke the Missouri freshman record in the 3,200-meter run in the track and field season last spring after setting the program record in cross-country.
“We’re a young team with growing depth,” Park Hill South boys’ cross-country coach Zach Wiemers said. “We’ve got all the pieces for a great season; we just need to make sure they come together at the right time.”
Seniors Tanner Clippard and Atticus Cowan bring back experience and leadership. Junior Zachary Hilzinger and sophomore Grant Windmeyer were varsity runners last fall while sophomore Cole James is looking to slide into the lineup in his sophomore campaign.
“Our program has grown significantly. We have solid captains in Tanner Clippard and Justin O’Brien who have done a great job so far in pushing every student on the team,” Wiemers said.
Conklin was an all-state runner in her freshman season, being the 10th fastest runner in Class 5 with a time of 19:05.9 in her last race. Puszczak gained exposure at state, crossing the finish line in 20:31.7.
The Lady Panthers also have a trio of seniors who were in the lineup throughout the season a year ago: Lauren Bishard, Mia James and Mackenzie Wright. Juniors Andrea Garcia and sophomore Zoe Flook are set to be in the top-5 ahead of the season.
“We will depend on our excellent senior leadership on the team this year,” Park Hill South girls’ cross-country coach Pam Jurgensmeyer said. “We have an amazing group of leaders who have been with the team for years. Our seniors have done a fantastic job in leading us in summer running and in practice.”