Running Down A Dream
Kate Klott Caps Senior Season With Second Place Medal
Kate Klott was already the most decorated runner in Bowling Green High School history when she capped her senior cross country season with a second place finish at the Class 2 state meet on Saturday.
The meet at Oak Hills Golf Course in Jefferson City on Saturday was the last Klott will run in a Bobcats uniform.
“The nerves were definitely there,” she said. “Since it was my last race of my high school career I wanted to finish strong so I treated it like it was just another race.”
Klott has competed at state in cross country all four years of high school and has earned All-State honors all four years. She finished in 13th place her freshman and sophomore years and then in fourth place last year as a junior.
Coach Matt Chance noted she is the best athlete to come out of the cross country program. Her second place finish at state was the highest of any runner at BGHS. Chance added that she is All-State nine times over with four in cross country and five nods in track (so far). She owns every track school record from 800-meters to 3,200-meters.
“Kate has had a tremendous career representing the Bowling Green track and cross country programs,” Chance stated. “She is a fierce competitor and has consistently thrived on state championship meets. You won’t find a more dedicated and committed individual than Kate. She deserves every award that comes her way. She has trusted the training program year after year and it’s one of the many reasons she dominates when she gets to the state meet.”
Chance pointed out that not many high school age athletes can turn up the effort at the state level the way she does.
“Kate has mastered the art of performing on the biggest stage. She has been a joy to coach and I’m proud I was able to coach her for four years,” he added.
Klott said the course was a little muddy in places on Saturday since the girls ran the last race of that day. She noted that other than that it couldn’t have gone any better than it did.
While all of Klott’s state appearances are special to her, she noted this one was particularly sweet because it was the last and because it was her best personal finish and the best finish as a team to date.
During the cross country season it is common to see Klott’s blonde hair at the front of a pack of girls as they run around town training. She noted that working with her team are among her most fond memories as a senior.
“It takes all of us pushing each other.”
She added that she has been around some pretty great people, accomplishing some pretty great things. Klott is also quick to give credit to Coach Chance.
“He has been such a great influence on myself and so many others,” she remarked. “There are not very many people who can make a person want to go out and run seven miles a day, but he is such an inspiration that we want to do it for him…to make him proud.”
When asked what advice she would give younger kids who are thinking about joining cross country she encourages everyone to try it. She noted that while it is a very hard sport it is also very rewarding and a very family-oriented sport.
Klott’s plans after high school aren’t concrete at this point. She said that she is looking at a couple of colleges but definitely plans to continue running at the college level.
Bowling Green Girls Finish Second; Boys Take 11th Place In Class 2 State Cross Country Meet
The Bowling Green cross country teams competed in the Class 2 state meet at Oak Hills Golf Course in Jefferson City on Saturday to cap another successful season.
The girl’s team brought home second place hardware and the boy’s team finished 11th place overall.
Coach Matt Chance pointed out it was a record-breaking season for the girl’s team. Second place is the highest any girl’s team has finished for Bowling Green.
“They competed as hard as any team I have coached. They are the toughest kids you will find and I love how they handled themselves all season under tremendous pressure to compete for a state title. In the end, Fatima was just better than us,” he said. “But we gave it our best shot.”
Chance added that he was happy and proud of the boy’s team.
“This was one of our best meets of the year on the biggest stage. They have nothing to hang their heads about and we have an excellent opportunity to get back to state next year. This was a good experience and we will learn from it.”
Girls Results
Kate Klott, 2nd, 20:40; Camy Grote, 15th, 21:25; Megan McMillen, 20th, 21:38; Meghan Kniess, 32nd, 22:23; Sylvia Wagner, 66th, 23:26; Quinn Grote, 73rd, 23:34; Taylor Blair, 117th, 24:27.
This was the fourth trip to state for Klott who improved from fourth place last year to second place this year, which is the highest of any Bowling Green cross country runner.
“Kate is a big-time performer on the biggest stage,” Chance said. “She has consistently peaked at the state meet for the last four years. Her experience on this course really showed and she ran a perfect race. She has made a name for herself around the state with her accomplishments (nine-time All-State in Cross Country and Track), but she also has worked for everything with her dedication to the off season training,” he added.
Chance also pointed to bright futures for sophomore Camy Grote and freshman Megan McMillen who also earned All-State honors on Saturday. This was the second All-State for Grote.
“Camy and Megan ran outstanding races to earn All-State. They pushed the pace early and really separated themselves early on and their training carried them to top 20 finishes,” Chance stated. “They were just a few seconds from the top 10. We will look for these two to push for a top 10 goal next year,” Chance concluded.
BOYS Results
Evan Meyer, 65th, 19:00; James Hearn, 70th, 19:06; Max Brandenburger, 19:31; Cody Wilkinson, 19:33; Sal Niemeyer, 149th, 20:39; Adam Engle, 164th, 21:16; Bobby Perry, 173rd, 22:13.
Four Clopton Runners Compete In Class 1 Cross Country State Meet
The Clopton cross country team sent four runners to the Class 1 state meet on Saturday at Oak Hills Golf Course in Jefferson City.
Senior runner Donovan Denslow took seventh place overall with a time of 17:58 and earned All-State honors.
Sophomore Daniel Harvey was 108th overall with a time of 20:11; sophomore Mark Elliott was 123rd overall with a time of 20:39.
Sophomore Taylor Akers ran in the girl’s race and took 61st overall with a time of 24:45.
