You have to go back five or six years to find a team not Milford at the top of the Southern Nebraska Conference cross country results.
The Eagles continued their winning ways Oct. 5, with the boys’ team winning its fifth straight title and the girls winning their sixth consecutive crown.
“We had a really, really good day,” Coach Jake Kment said.
Winning that many championships in a row could be seen as a burden, the coach said.
“They handle having a target on their back really well,” Kment said.
Lilly Kenning won her third straight conference championship, finishing in 20:25.72.
“She was able to command the race,” Kment said.
Ellison Piening was sixth, Elsa Schweitzer ninth, Adyson Kroese 12th, Kisa Schauer 13th and Sally Burkey 16th.
The meet was scored as a Class D meet, which meant only the first three runners from a team counted toward the team scores.
Kment said Piening’s medal was her third at conference, as well. Schweitzer ran her best race of the season, setting a new personal best time by 33 seconds.
“She made a move mid-race and didn’t look back,” Kment said.
Kroese and Schauer also ran overall personal best times, and Burkey’s time was a course best at Branched Oak Lake.
“I’m really proud of the grit and toughness they showed,” Kment said. “They were locked in and determined, especially three (Schweitzer), four (Kroese), five (Schauer).”
The boys’ team also finished with a lot of personal best times, Kment said.
Avery Carter won his first conference title and set a new course personal best with a time of 16:58.44. Gavin Dunlap was the runner-up in 17:07.95, also a course best. Garrett Freeman finished fifth, Sylus Rakow 11th, Kellen Lovitt 17th and Jonny Kohout 26th.
Kment said the Eagles were able to put together a complete race for all six runners, which he was happy to see.
He said all the freshmen, both boys and girls, responded well to the competition.
Up next for the Eagles is the District C4 meet scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 11, in Hastings. The girls will run at 10 a.m., and the boys will run after that. This is a change to the original date and time.
Kment said this is the race the teams have been building toward all season.
“By now they should all be confident in their abilities,” he said. “The mental is more important now.”
The top 15 individuals and top three teams will qualify for the state meet, which is Friday, Oct. 20, in Kearney.
UPDATE: Both the Milford boys' and girls' teams finished in the top three of the district meet. Carter and Kenning were meet champions, and Dunlap, Freeman and Piening earned individual medals.
