2024 HOLDEN FALL SPORTS WRAP UP: Eagle & Lady Eagle Cross Country

First-year Holden cross country head coach Scott Teufel was greeted by a tight-knit group of runners ranging from experienced seniors to incoming freshman as coach Teufel moved up from the assistant role he held last season under previous head coach Ben Kiger.

The Holden cross country teams were highlighted by senior fourth-year high school team members Rett Hankins on the boys side and Ava Young on the girls side.

“What stands out to me about this year’s team is the cohesiveness of the team as a whole,” said coach Teufel prior to the start of the season.

Eagles Cross Country Team
The Holden boys cross country team opened the season with seven runners with four-year team member Rett Hankins and second-year runner Joseph Samilin returning for their senior seasons.

The Eagles opened the season at the St. Mary’s Cross Country Invitational Meet at St. Michael the Archangel High School on Sept. 7. In medal finishes, Hankins paced the boys team by placing sixth, and freshman Liam Claxton placed 21st.

At the Husker Invitational Meet at Higginsville High School on Sept. 10, the Holden boys team placed seventh out of 10 teams as Hankins earned another medal finish.

At the Odessa Invitational Meet on Sept. 21, Hankins and Claxton ran to medal finishes as the team placed ninth.

Running at the Gans Creek Classic Meet in Columbia on Sept. 28, Claxton led the Eagles by placing 56th with a season-best time as Hankins battled illness to place 70th in the field of 213 boys finishers.

The Holden boys cross country team placed third among seven teams at the Oak Grove Invitational Meet on Oct. 2.

Hankins led the boys team at the Lexington Invitational Meet on Oct. 12, by placing sixth among the 85 boys finishers.

At the Warrensburg Invitational Meet on Oct. 17, Hankins placed 11th, Claxton placed 37th, sophomore Evan Robinson placed 88th, freshman Paxton Zeikle placed 95th, and Samilin placed 105th on the day.

The Holden boys cross country team placed fourth among the six conference teams competing at the MRVC-East Meet at Richmond High School on Oct. 23. Hankins placed third to earn his fourth career top-10 All-MRVC-East medal finish as Claxton placed ninth to secure an all-conference finish.

The Eagles competed in the St. Michael Fall Classic at St. Michael the Archangel High School on Oct. 26. Hankins placed fifth in a personal record time of 17:20 to earn a top-30 medal finish. Robinson also turned in a PR time of 21:27 as he placed 49th on the day. Claxton placed 21st, and Samilin placed 71st.

Competing at the Class 3, District 4 Cross Country Meet at Platte Ridge Park in Platte City on Nov. 2, Hankins placed 10th as he turned in a top-30 all-district finish to qualify for his fourth career Class 3 State Championships appearance. Claxton placed 42nd in the field of 116 boys finishers, Robinson placed 74th, and Samilin closed out his two-year high school cross country career by placing 113th.

Hankins closed out the Holden fall sports season by capturing an all-state finish at the MSHSAA Class 3 Cross Country State Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia on Nov. 9. Hankins capped off his fourth state meet appearance by placing 25th in the field of 162 boys finishers to earn a top-30 all-state medal. Hankins clocked a time of 17:30 in his all-state run. “It’s been my goal since I started cross country, for sure,” said Hankins after stepping off the podium with his all-state medal.

“I am so proud of Rett,” said coach Teufel. “He set a goal to be all-state this year and he worked really hard to accomplish that goal.”

Lady Eagles Cross Country Team
For the second season in a row, the Lady Eagles cross country team was able to compete as a complete team as this year’s team was composed of five team members – senior Ava Young, juniors Abby Miller and Malea Brewington, sophomore Madi Talley, and freshman Jessy Stringer.

“Both the camaraderie of this team and the positive way they support each other is really exciting to watch,” said coach Teufel.

The Lady Eagles opened the season at the St. Mary’s Cross Country Invitational Meet at St. Michael the Archangel High School on Sept. 7, with all five Lady Eagle team members running to medal finishes. Stringer led the girls team on the day by placing 13th.

The Lady Eagles placed third as a team at the Husker Invitational Meet at Higginsville High School on Sept. 10. Miller led the Lady Eagles by placing fifth for a medal finish.

With three Lady Eagles runners competing at the Odessa Invitational Meet on Sept. 21, Miller, Stringer, and Young all turned in medal finishes.

Miller led the Lady Eagles at the Gans Creek Classic Meet in Columbia on Sept. 28, by placing 21st for a medal finish in the field of 234 finishers. The Lady Eagles team placed seventh among 25 teams at the Gans Classic Meet.

The Holden girls cross country team brought home the first-place plaque from the Oak Grove Invitational Meet on Oct. 2. Miller placed second, Brewington placed fifth, Stringer placed seventh, Young placed ninth, and Talley placed 11th.

The Lady Eagles turned in a third-place team finish among six teams at the Lexington Invitational Meet on Oct. 12. Miller placed 14th, Stringer placed 15th, Brewington placed 18th, Talley placed 28th, and Young placed 35th. “This is a sad course to leave,” said Young in regard to the unique atmosphere of the Lexington Meet course. “Everything about it, they make it kind of fun, which it’s hard to make a cross country course fun.”

Stringer led the Lady Eagles at the Warrensburg Invitational Meet on Oct. 17, by placing 26th, Young placed 34th, Talley placed 37th, and Brewington placed 40th among the 66 girls finishers.

The Lady Eagles cross country team placed third at the MRVC-East Meet held at Richmond High School on Oct. 23. Miller turned in a 13th-place finish in the field of 27 finishers to lead the Holden girls team. Stringer placed 16th, Brewington placed 17th, Young placed 20th, and Talley placed 21st.

At the St. Michael Fall Classic Meet on Oct. 26, Stringer paced the Lady Eagles with a seventh-place medal finish.

The Holden girls cross country team placed sixth among eight complete teams at the Class 3, District 4 Cross Country Meet at Platte Ridge Park on Nov. 2. Stringer placed 31st with top-30 finishers earning state meet qualifications. Competing in her final race as the lone Lady Eagle senior team member after competing as the lone Lady Eagle freshman and only team member early in her career, Young placed 36th with a time of 24:04 in the field of 74 girls finishers. Miller worked through a late-season leg injury to place 43rd at the district meet, Talley placed 44th, and Brewington placed 46th. “Ava ran a year of high school as the only girl, so having a team with an outside opportunity to make state was a big stride,” said coach Teufel after the district meet.