Pouk holds up his second place medal from the district meet last Thursday. He will be heading to state Thursday, Oct. 22, where he placed 53rd last year.
Pouk heads to state cross country
Junior Colton Pouk will run at the state cross country meet Thursday, Oct. 22 in Kearney after placing second at the district meet at Bridgeport.
Coach Seth Burge described the district meet as cold and windy. The team went through their typical pre-meet routine before races, trying not to let the cold get to them.
“The starting line was probably the coldest for the athletes, but we were lucky to have student managers there to take layers of clothes from the runners before the start,” said Burge.
The top 15 individuals at districts qualify for the state meet.
Fifty-two boys competed at the D-6 race on Thursday, Oct. 15. Pouk ran the course in 17:57, placing him in second and allowing him to move on to state. Senior Keegan Sims placed 50th with a time of 27:50.
Forty-six runners were present for the girls race. Sophomore Meredith Gloy placed 20th with a time of 24:15. She was just five places away from making it to state.
Burge said he is very happy with all three of the Perkins County runners.
Sims finished his senior year with a good race, Burge said, and he was in good spirits knowing he finished the season strong.
Gloy didn’t run at districts her freshman year due to an injury, so earning 20th at her first district meet is impressive, according to Burge.
Finally, he is proud of the progress that Pouk has made between last season and this season. He said his work ethic shows with a second place finish at districts, and a time just two seconds shy of hitting his personal record.
“Coach Stephenson and I are proud of the team,” Burge said. “This season has had its ups and downs We started with three runners in August, gained more runners along the way, and ended at districts with only three competing,” he said.
“We will miss our lone senior next year, but I am looking forward to wrapping up this season in Kearney, taking a break and starting strong again next summer.”
State
In preparation for the state meet, Sims and Gloy have the option to continue training with Pouk and in turn will attend to the state meet to cheer for their teammate.
State is not unfamiliar for Pouk, as he qualified last year along with the Perkins County boys team of six runners. He placed 53rd last year with a time of 18:35, and was the lead runner for the team.
The Class D state meet will take place at Kearney Country Club on Thursday. The boys Class D boys race will begin at 12:30 p.m. CT.