In the final moments of the 2020 season, the College Heights Christian School’s girls cross country team stood closely together with medals around their necks and a new piece of hardware for the school’s trophy case.
For the Cougars, it was not only a storybook ending, but also an unforgettable moment.
College Heights’ girls captured the Class 1 title at Saturday’s MSHSAA Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia. With three runners in the top 32, College Heights finished with 91 points, 18 points better than runner-up Valle Catholic.
It’s the first state title in program history for the CHC girls.
“We knew we had a shot, and to see it become reality was a great feeling and very exciting,” Cougars coach Phillip Jordan said Monday afternoon. “You always have a state championship in the back of your mind, but to see the girls accomplish that was surreal. Even now, it’s crazy to think that we got it done.”
In one of his final coaching acts of the season, Jordan put the championship medals around the necks of each team member before the championship trophy was presented to the Cougars on the awards podium.
“It was surreal,” Jordan said of the day’s final act. “I have a daughter on the team (freshman Madelynn), so it was pretty emotional when we won. Obviously I was excited for all the girls. And having my daughter up there was an awesome feeling. Every coach wants to win a state championship. To be able to win a state championship and have my daughter on the team made it even more special.”
College Heights was the Class 1 runner-up at state in 2005, ’06 and ’07, with a third-place finish in ’10.
When the Missouri State High School Activities Association added a fifth class for cross country this fall, the Cougars moved back down to Class 1.
And on Saturday, the Cougars had two all-state individuals, as senior Grace Bishop finished fourth and sophomore Klohe Burk took 22nd. The top 25 runners earn all-state honors.
Also for the Cougars, sophomore Jayli Johnson finished 32nd, freshman Madelynn Jordan placed 61st, senior Shelbi Post was 62nd, freshman Madi Carson finished 80th and senior Avery Parker was 92nd.
“Our top five have been pretty consistent all year,” Coach Jordan said. “I’ve always thought that to compete for a state championship you’ve got to have a top-tier runner and then you have to have a couple more that are above average. And you have to have three to five more that are pretty close to that as well. I know Grace is always going to be near the front in every race and I know our No. 2 and No. 3 are always going to compete well. And it’s the same with our No. 4 and No. 5.”
Bishop went to the front early in the 5-kilometer race and never left. Burk moved up 11 places from the 1K mark to the finish line, while Johnson was in 35th place after 3K, but passed a couple of runners near the end of the race.
Madelynn Jordan was in 104th place after the first 1,000 meters but moved all the way up to 61st with a strong finish. Post also moved up nicely late in the race, as she was in 100th place after 1K. Carson was in 116th after the 1K mark, but took 80th. Parker moved from 106th to 92nd, passing four runners late in the race.
Coach Jordan noted all of his runners simply got the job done with the pressure on while running on the state’s biggest stage.
“We talked about times we needed to hit, but it was pretty windy and it was blowing right in our faces,” Coach Jordan said. “We knew the times weren’t going to matter, we just had to go out and compete. I knew pretty early on that we were competing well. Our kids ran their race and didn’t let the situation get too big or let it overwhelm them. To see them go out and run their race at a high level was pretty satisfying.”
Jordan hopes this year’s successful season will help the school’s cross country program grow in the future.
“When you’re a younger kid and you see a team have some success, it makes you want to be part of it,” Jordan said. “I hope that can happen. It’s always hard to recruit kids to run cross country. It takes a special athlete to get out there and compete. Hopefully our younger kids will see this and we’ll have continued success.”
The school held a pep rally on Monday to recognize the girls cross country team for their historic achievement.
Two days after his team made history, Coach Jordan was asked if it has sunk in that his program brought home a state championship.
“I think so,” he said. “There have been several times the last couple days I’ve thought, ‘I can’t believe it.’ But I’m just proud of the girls and it’s nice to see them get the recognition they deserve.”
