Nevada High School's Beshore, Rains compete at cross country showcase event
Nevada High cross country duo Calli Beshore and Allie Rains punctuated their season Saturday at the Missouri Class 3 state cross country championship meet, at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia.
Making her fourth consecutive appearance at the marquee prep event, Beshore capped her storied XC career with a 34th-place finish in the girls' 5-kilometer (3.1 mile) run. Beshore clocked an official time of 20:04, while freshman teammate Rains slotted into 74th, with a time of 20:49.
Prior to a change of venue this year to Columbia, the meet had previously been held in Jefferson City for a long period of time.
"Across the board, it was a learning experience for all of us," said NHS head coach, Ryan Watts. "We were very proud of how well our pair of girls ran against the very best in the state."
Watts broke down the performances of Beshore and Rains.
"Calli ran a great race, getting out fast and competing from start-to-finish," Watts began. "We are so proud of the effort Calli put forth — not just at state, but over her entire career. Qualifying for state four consecutive years is such a wonderful accomplishment.
"Her leadership (of) the younger girls on the team, and helping guide Allie through her first year at state, speaks to what a wonderful young lady Calli is. It was also a great opportunity for Calli, as she will be racing (this) course for years to come as she continues her career next year at UMKC."
Added Watts: "Allie ran a personal-best time. As a freshman, she (bested) 100 of the top runners in the state, as the race had 174 girls in it. She also broke the 21-minute barrier for the first time in her career."
Watts said he was impressed with how Rains overcame any freshman jitters to put forth a solid showing, adding that she was not overwhelmed by the top-notch competition.
"That speaks to her maturity as a freshman, and how much she has grown since the beginning of the season," he said.
Watts said a grueling schedule wound up paying dividends.
"With the (difficult) schedule we have gone through this year, racing the best runners around, on some of the most challenging courses, it can wear weaker runners down — both mentally and physically," he said. "But, both Calli and Allie have great grit and toughness, and took what they learned from those meets and used it to their advantage — to run great races on Saturday, against a collection of elite runners."
Summed up Watts: "As a program, we are so proud of Allie, and expect big things from her in the years to come. And, so proud of Calli, and thankful for all she has done for the program the last four years."