FORT SCOTT — Crest High’s Josie Walter, Peyton Schmidt and Aubrey Allen turned the Fort Scott Invitational into the Lady Lancer showcase Thursday.
Walter dominated the field, winning the 5-kilometer race by nearly a minute ahead of Schmidt, who took second a full 16 seconds over the third-place runner.
By the time Allen crossed the finish line a short while later, it gave Crest three of the top-five runners in the 21-runner field.
“It felt good,” Walter said.
“The weather helped a lot,” Schmidt added.
The overcast skies and temps in the low 80s allowed the runners to exert themselves without undue stress.
Walter took the lead from the start, while Schmidt held second, dipped to third briefly, before rebounding back to the runner-up slot by the halfway point.
“Normally, I’d try to stick right behind (Josie) but I’ve been sick,” Schmidt said. “I feel better now. I just can’t breathe.”
With only four girls on the roster, and one of the four, freshman Kallei Robb out with an illness, there was no chance for Crest to try for a team trophy.
That mattered little to the Crest runners, who have been training non-stop since the end of the 2023-24 school year.
“We’ve been pushing each other,” Walter said.
IT TURNS out the Crest boys roster is becoming a force to be reckoned with as well.
Senior Gunner Ellington finished the 5K route in under 19 minutes, good for fifth.
As a team, the Lancers took fourth.
The Crest middle-schoolers also made their mark.
