Bryant, McCall prepare for state cross country

For Senior Steph Bryant, qualifying for state cross country has become routine. She has qualified for state every year she's been in high school, and she is also the only person on the cross country team to represent Silver Lake High School at state the past three years.

This year, however, she has company. Senior Rachel McCall became the only person other than Bryant to qualify for state cross country in the last four years. Silver Lake Coach Kelly Lampe commented on the girls' achievements.

Lampe said, "The keys that enabled Steph and Rachel to qualify for state were their own personal goals, hard work, and determination."

One of the important factors that will determine how Bryant and McCall perform at state will be how they prepare.

Bryant said, "I will train just as I regularly do and make sure and eat healthy and get a lot of sleep so I will be ready to go on Saturday."

McCall added, "I'll need to get plenty of sleep and spend as much time as I can resting my legs."

Bryant and McCall both expressed a sense of accomplishment about qualifying.

McCall said, "I think it's awesome that I made it to state. I'm very proud of myself."

Bryant added, "I feel it's a big accomplishment making it to state all four years, and I work hard every year to make the most of it at state."

One of the major factors that makes state the most difficult to win is the level of talent. Coach Lampe said Bryant and McCall will encounter tough competition this weekend.

Lampe said, "The girls they ran against at regionals will be the toughest competition. They had four state champs in either cross country or track."

Coach Lampe said Bryant's natural talents have enabled her to attend state the past four years.

"Steph is a tremendous athlete. She's very hard driven, highly motivated and has great character," he said.

After high school, Bryant will probably accept some sort of track scholarship.

"Right now I am trying to decide whether or not I want to do sports in college. Running in college is a definite possibility and is something I would like to do," she said.

Sometimes people tend to forget about one element that really matters in sports: having fun. McCall commented on her most memorable moment of the season involving a teammate.

McCall said, "We were at Wabaunsee, and it was one of Jayme Lindstrom's first cross country meets. During the race, I glanced over and saw her in a field squatting...apparently she had too much water. I was laughing so hard I could barely run."

Lampe said this season was comparable to many others.

"It went very well, no injuries, great senior leadership, and lots of fun," he said.

Seven Silver Lake athletes medaled in cross country this year. Listed below are the medal winners and how they placed.

Mid-East League Cross Country at Wabaunsee - Oct. 13

Steph Bryant, girls' varsity (57 runners): 2nd Place Medalist 13:12

Rachel McCall, girls' varsity (57 runners): 4th Place Medalist 14:12

Jayme Lindstrom, girls' varsity (57 runners): 13th Place Medalist 15:21

Cross Country at Eudora - Oct. 6

Girls' Varsity: 54 runners

Steph Bryant, fifth place medalist, girls' varsity, 12:35

Boys' Junior Varsity: 45 runners

Jacob Deiter, fifth place medalist, boys' junior varsity, 20:30

Moritz Jrug, 10th place medalist, boys' junior varsity, 20:42

Cross Country at McClouth - Sept. 15

Steph Bryant, girls' varsity (44 runners): 1st Place Medalist, 12:45

Rachel McCall, girls' varsity (44 runners): 5th Place Medalist, 13:16

Jayme Lindstrom, girls' varsity (44 runners): 20th Place Medalist, 14:00

Tyler Boxberger, boys' varsity (53 runners): 10th Place Medalist, 20:36

Cross Country at Wamego - Sept. 10

Steph Bryant, second place out of 125 runners, beating two state

champions, 13:02

Cross Country at St. Marys - Sept. 8

Rachel McCall, girls' varsity (28 runners): 1st place medalist, 14:06

Jayme Lindstrom, girls' varsity (28 runners): 4th place medalist, 15:29

Boys' team score: sixth place

Cross Country at Mission Valley - Sept. 1

Steph Bryant, girls' varsity (41 runners): 2nd place medalist, 13:

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