The Fair Grove Middle School cross country team has officially launched its 2025 season. The team finished the SWCCCA Richard Clark Invitational on September 6th and are continuing to prepare for future meets.
Jalen Supancic, Business Education and Technology Educator at Fair Grove High School, has been coaching cross country for six consecutive years. Kate Boyer, the librarian for Fair Grove Elementary School, has stepped in as an assistant coach for the middle school cross country team.
Boyer went to high school in Topeka, Kansas, and graduated from Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English.
“It honestly never occurred to me to be a coach, but when I found out there was a need for an assistant cross country coach, I was happy to give it a try,” Boyer shared.
Together, Boyer and Supancic will be leading their teams to help them overcome challenges and push them to reach their full potential.
“I’m confident that the team will do well this year,” said Boyer. “Many of our runners put in a lot of mileage during the preseason and have shown up at our in-season practices motivated and ready to work. I have no doubt that they will continue to improve throughout the year.”
Fair Grove’s junior high cross country team faced their new competition at the SWCCCA Richard Clark Invitational, facing over sixty schools. The meet was 2500 meters or a mile and a half.
Supancic added, ”Our kiddos did a really good job last year of working hard and competing. They competed with some of the best schools in our area, and we had several good, top-five finishes at meets.”
Many of the runners made personal records at the SWCCCA Invitational. Neal Workman (8), placed 53rd out of 426 runners, and Miles Wolf (7) finished 39th out of 426 runners. There were 316 athletes in the girls’ division. The top placers were Erin Jackson (7), who placed 51st, and Madilynn Miller (8) placed 113th.
Coaches and athletes alike say cross country mindsets differ from runner to runner. Some take in the scenery, others focus on each step. Wolf shared that his mindset is: don’t think, just run.
For athletes like Wolf, cross country is more than just running. Wolf personally liked meeting other runners and communicating with those around him.
The next upcoming middle school cross country meets are the Buffalo Invitational on October 9, and the Clever Invitational on October 16.
