The De Soto High School Cross Country team raced their way through Regionals on Oct. 22 at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas.

The team had been working very hard for this meet and were pleased with the way they finished.

“I think overall the team did very well,” sophomore Sam Hubert said. “Everyone stepped up and did their job when they had to.”

Hubert and junior Gabby Collins were able to qualify for 5A State following the Regional meet.

“I had a pretty good idea of where I was at and I thought that I had a good chance of qualifying for State,” Hubert said. “But I couldn’t be sure, so I had to run a really strong race in order to get there.”

At State, Hubert was able to finish with a time of 17:26 and placed 43rd. Collins placed 23rd and ended with a time of 21:08.

“Gabby was really close to medaling and Sam did a great job too,” head coach Katherine Wilber said. “The competition is just another step up in 5A so it was just really great to see them compete at a whole different level.”

Members of the team have been working since the beginning of the summer and are happy with how they were able to finish the season.

“I’m super upset that the season had to come to an end, and I’m going to miss the amazing team we had this year,” Collins said. “Everyone finished out the season strong, and I’m definitely excited to see what the season holds next year.”

Wilber is very proud of the accomplishments that the runners had throughout the year and is looking forward to future time as a coach.

“I thought this season was great,” Wilber said. “We were constantly setting new PRs as individuals. It was great to see some kids compete at State and I’m excited to get ready for track and then again for the next season.”