2020 all-area girls cross-country selections: Mike Spielman (left) of Baldwin for coach of the year and Sydney Owens (right) of Eudora for athlete of the year.

photo by: John Young

Mike Spielman is the All-Area girls cross-country coach of the year for the 2020 season.

Coach of the year: Mike Spielman, Baldwin

Under Spielman, Baldwin’s girls cross-country team bounced back to the top of Class 4A in 2020 after not winning a state title a year ago. The Bulldogs had five runners finish inside the top 17 this year to earn a state crown. Baldwin has won three of the last four state titles, and the program has had 12 state crowns since 2002.

photo by: Courtesy photo

2020 fall sports all-area photo: Sydney Owens, Eudora

Athlete of the year: Sydney Owens, Eudora

It is hard to believe that this was just Year 1 for Owens at the high school level. In her freshman campaign, Owens led the way for Eudora by winning four of her eight races on the year. She won the regional meet with a season-best time of 19:29. Owens ended up finishing second as an individual at the Class 4A state meet, falling to four-time state champion Taylor Briggs.

First-team selections

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2020 fall sports all-area photo: Kristi Chambers, Tonganoxie

Kristi Chambers, Tonganoxie — Chambers piled up the medals during her senior season. She finished in the top five in five races in the regular season, including two individual victories. Chambers took seventh at the Class 4A state meet with a time of 20:58. She also placed sixth at regionals and 12th at the league meet.

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2020 fall sports all-area photo: Phoebe Fletcher, Eudora

Phoebe Fletcher, Eudora — Entering the year as the top returning runner, Fletcher was consistently Eudora’s second-best runner in nearly every meet. Fletcher wasn’t able to compete in the state meet or regionals, but she played a big part in the Cardinals’ Frontier League title victory. Fletcher’s best time of the year was 21:08.

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2020 fall sports all-area photo: Natalie Kennedy, Lawrence High

Natalie Kennedy, Lawrence High — Kennedy didn’t start the year as Lawrence’s best runner, but she climbed up to lead the way in the team’s biggest meets later on. She ran a personal best time of 20:30.3 en route to a 43rd-place finish at the Sunflower League meet.

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2020 fall sports all-area photo: Jana Landreth, Baldwin

Jana Landreth, Baldwin — Landreth closed out her junior season by earning some postseason hardware. She took ninth at the state meet on a team that won it all, and she also finished fifth at regionals and 11th at the Frontier League meet. Landreth’s fastest time of the year was 20:24.

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2020 fall sports all-area photo: Mackenzie Mayer, Eudora

Mackenzie Mayer, Eudora — Mayer’s hard work on the Eudora cross-country squad led to consistent results during her junior season. She finished in the top 10 as an individual in six of her eight races, which included a personal best time of 20:58. She ended a strong season by placing 11th at the Class 4A state meet.

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2020 fall sports all-area photo: Oona Nelson, Bishop Seabury

Oona Nelson, Bishop Seabury — Nelson followed up her dynamic freshman year with another stellar campaign this season. She finished seventh as an individual at the Class 2A state meet with a time of 19:46.2, and she was also the runner-up at her regional meet to help the Seahawks win a team title. Nelson’s best time of the year was 19:43.1.

Delaney Rockers, Free State — Rockers was one of Free State’s top two runners in every meet except the first one. She earned three medals and was the team’s top runner at both league and regionals. In a normal year, Rockers would have qualified for the state meet, as she was the fourth-highest individual qualifier at regionals. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, only the top three individual qualifiers made it to state this year instead of the usual top five.

photo by: Courtesy photo

2020 fall sports all-area photo: Kassidy Schumann, Perry-Lecompton

Kassidy Schumann, Perry-Lecompton — In her senior season, Schumann was one of two PLHS runners to qualify for the Class 3A state meet. Schumann placed eighth at the regional meet with a season-best time of 22:44.9. She also earned a 13th-place finish at the Big Seven league meet.

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2020 fall sports all-area photo: Riley Smith, Baldwin

Riley Smith, Baldwin — The team’s top runner throughout the year wrapped up her junior campaign with three top-five finishes in the postseason. Smith finished fifth at the Class 4A state meet to help the Bulldogs win a team title. She also was runner-up at the regional meet and finished fourth at the Frontier League meet. Smith’s fastest time of the year was a 19:42.

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2020 fall sports all-area photo: Ambrynn Stewart, Baldwin

Ambrynn Stewart, Baldwin — As one of the few seniors on the varsity squad, Stewart was an essential part of the Bulldogs’ run to another state crown. Stewart finished 12th at the state meet and posted an 11th-place finish at the regional meet. She clocked a season-best time of 20:20 as well.

Honorable mention

Allison Babbit, Free State; Katie Bartlett, Perry-Lecompton; Madison DeWitt, Lawrence; Kayla Hamm, Perry-Lecompton; Lucy Hardy, Lawrence; Darby Harris, Bishop Seabury; Ella McCleary, Free State; Diana Messick, Baldwin; Ryleigh Morgan, Perry-Lecompton; Isabelle Pro, Bishop Seabury; Lauren Russell, Baldwin; Bailey Smith, Baldwin.