The 19th edition of the Forest Park Cross Country Festival saw several changes to the course and schedule to continue to enhance the experience at this long-standing meet. First, with the installation of new basketball courts at Forest Park, the cross country course was reconfigured to have the starting line and finish line in a common area – great for spectators and coaches! The added real estate also allowed for the removal of several turns in the course, which lends itself to faster times. Based on coaches’ feedback, the freshman race was lengthened to 5k instead of 3k and the entire meet schedule was adjusted to keep divisions together on the timeline therefore shortening the day for coaches and their programs. All of the changes were positively received!
The new course proved to be fast from the get-go with the men’s Open Race record falling in the first race of the day. Matthew Griffith, a 21-year-old from Columbia, MO and former runner at Rock Bridge, kicked things off with a blazing fast 15:41 5k, besting the record set just last year by 18 seconds.
In the Varsity Girls High School Green Division, a pack at the first mile dwindled to two runners – last year’s race champion, Cor Jesu junior Mary McKenzie and St. Charles West sophomore, Brianna Krueger. This year it was Krueger who powered away to earn the win. The team standings mirrored the year prior with O’Fallon edging out Cor Jesu for a first place finish by a mere two points.
In the Varsity Boys High School Green Division, the duo that outlasted the pack and broke away by the 2 mile mark was Gabriel McLain, a senior from Benton, IL and Henry Acorn, a senior from Rockhurst. McLain had the extra gear on this day and claimed the win in 15:14.0 earning the #5 spot on the all-time boys list. Acorn’s second place finish with a 15:18.5 put him at the #10 spot. Five boys in the race broke 15:30 and four of them earned spots in the top 25 all-time record book. Rounding out the quartet was sophomore Jackson Miller of SLUH (15:24.7 – #16 and the only sophomore on the list) and junior Brayden Kloeppel of O’Fallon, IL (15:27.5 – #23).
In the team race, just like in the girls’ race, the results replicated 2023. Meet host St. Louis University High triumphed over their friendly cross state rival, Rockhurst, putting their 5 scorers in the top 25. SLUH had not won this meet since 2009, but now have a 2-year win streak under their belts.
This year’s freshman races moved to 5k in distance, thus the winners are each the new record holders. In the Freshman Girls 5K, Margaret Barnes of Collegiate, took it to the field winning by a commanding 20 seconds in 22:17. On the team side, it was Liberty Wentzville, led by Kailynn Burton, to claim the team title over Parkway Central.
In the Freshman Boys 5K, Lucas DeClue of Festus brought home the win over Jack Morrison of Rockhurst in a time of 17:37.2 as the day’s temperatures heated up. For the second year in a row in this race as well, SLUH brought home the team win. Five SLUH scorers in the top 10 did the trick over the always competitive Festus team.
With the top 3 finishers of the Middle School Girls 3k, the St. Louis Blue Knights cruised to the team title. Seventh grader Victoria Riggs earned the race win in a time of 12:27.8 ahead of her teammate Mary Colette Blaxton.
The Middle School Boys 3k was won by 7th grader Micah Styles of the St. Louis Blue Knights. St. Louis Priory’s solid pack secured a team victory by 19 points over Hannibal.