Arlington junior Brynn Eckhart crossed the finish line, collected herself and made a way back to the Eagles' supporters waiting on the hill above Friday at Kearney Country Club.
Along the way on a narrow path, she met senior Keelianne Green.
“Keeli,” Eckhart said. “Did you win?”
The answer brought tears to her eyes instantly. Green, who'd already shed tears during a TV interview with News Channel Nebraska, became a two-time state champion Friday during the Class C state cross-country race. The senior capped two years unbeaten with a time of 19:15.5 and she overcame doubts to do it.
“I'm so grateful for all of these opportunities that I've had,” Green said.
The top champion in AHS cross-country history topped Ogallala's Lindee Henning by 18.8 seconds for the title. The contenders ran side-by-side early before Henning made a push and led at the 2,000-meter mark.
“And I, kind of, mentally gave up there,” Green said. “I was like, 'It's OK if I lose. It's OK. People are still going to love me and everything.”
Drive and faith propelled her forward, though.
“Just before the 2-mile (mark), God really was talking to me,” the Eagle said.
Green pushed through her doubt and led by a considerable amount going into the final sprint.
“I think she honed in. She knew what she needed to do,” Arlington coach Michaela Curran said. “Kept the composure. All six of them really did before the race.”
The boys team started the Eagles' day in Kearney, but fell short with a disappointing 12th-place finish. The girls, however, didn't let it effect them, earning eighth overall behind the Class C state champion Wayne Devils.
In addition to Green's finish, sophomore Hailey O'Daniel earned her second state medal, too. She finished seventh in 20:34, overcoming her own difficulties.
“The beginning of the season started off amazing. I was PR-ing everything,” she explained. “Then I had a horse fall on me. It set me back. I was sore.”
The runner, who also competes in rodeo, came back, though, and passed multiple runners with a last-chance kick Friday afternoon.
“I knew I had it in me,” O'Daniel said. “It's just mind over matter.”
Curran saw it coming.
“She likes to make me wait right until the finish and gets me real nervous, but she finds it,” Curran said. “She's a tough competitor and she doesn't give up.”
Eckhart, meanwhile, finished 70th in 23:26.7 for AHS. Kelise Cook-Krivohlavek added an 84th-place finish in 24:04.9, while Whitney Wollberg was 92nd in 24:36 and April Klein took 107th in 28:08.9.
Green has been complimentary and thankful for all of her teammates since changing sports from softball to cross-country as a junior. The experience has been life-altering as she now plans to run competitively in college.
“I think I kind of sell myself short a lot of the times, and this has taught me so many things,” Green said.
A second state title was just a bonus, all things considered.
“Today was just icing on the cake,” she said.
AHS boys finish 12th
Top Arlington runners Nolan May and Kevin Flesner struggled during the warm NSAA Championships on Friday as the Eagles took 12th.
“It's hard when you set big goals and you don't reach them,” Curran said. “It was a tough day for our boys and my heart breaks for them.”
Flesner officially finished 105th in 20:04.5, while May was unable to complete the course. Both Eagles were in good health later after some recovery time, though.
As a result, AHS sophomore Kolby Tighe led the Eagles at state with his 42nd-place finish in 18:22.6.
“My run individually, for me, it doesn't matter a lot. It's more about the team. It always has been,” he said. “Hopefully, it will be for two more years after this.”
The Eagles' finish was difficult to comprehend in the moment, though.
“There really are no words to describe how we're feeling right now,” Tighe said. “It's heartbreak.”
Senior Luke Hammang added a 72nd-place finish in his final high school race, clocking in at 19:00.1. John Morrison was 73rd in 19:00.5 and Dallin Franzluebbers was 93rd in 19:40.8, too.
The AHS boys were ranked fifth in the final NXCCA poll going into the state meet. Their season-long success built it to that mark.
