LAWRENCE — The Ellsworth girls’ cross country team and senior Hunter Kinsley and freshman Octavio Rodriguez from the Ellsworth boys’ team competed at the KSHSAA Class 3A State Cross Country Championship Nov. 1 at Rim Rock Farm north of Lawrence. Earning their highest team finish since the 2005 State Runner-Up team, the girls finished sixth out of 12 full teams, while Kinsley and Rodriguez finished in the upper half of their fields.

In the girls’ race, junior Molly Ehrlich and sophomore Lakyn Beckman achieved All-State honors by placing in the top 20 individually.

Adding a second state medal to her collection, Ehrlich started out with the leaders early in the race, maintaining her position in the fifth through eighth spots before completing the race with a sixth place finish and a season best time of 19:59.

Beckman earned her first state medal running in the 20th-25th spots throughout most of the race before typically kicking it in for a strong third mile, completing her race with a personal best time of 20:22 and coming in at the 17th spot.

Freshmen Korbyn Jensen and Maisy Hulse and sophomores Brooklyn Marston, Sage Gray and senior Addison Thomas were mixed in the pack at the beginning of the race, before completing a strong first mile. In the last half of the race, the pack began separating, and the girls began to make up some ground and positive points in the team standings.

Jensen finished 66th out of the 107 runners with a time of 22:25, only three seconds off her PR, while Gray finished four seconds from her PR in 76th place with a time of 22:51.

Marston was the next Bearcat runner to complete the race as she finished with a PR time of 23:17 in the 85th spot, while Hulse finished 91st, crossing the finish line at the 23:43 mark, as Thomas capped off her high school career with a PR time of 24:34 in the 97th spot.

“I challenged the girls to push for PRs and to key off of a couple regional and league teams,” head coach Eric Coonrod said. “I knew we could compete with them, so I hoped that having that push would keep them focused as the race went on.”

Running in their first season of high school cross country competition, Rodriguez and Kinsley represented the Bearcat community well. Rodriguez, coming up from the junior high ranks from a season ago, and Kinsley, deciding to make the change and join the cross country team for his senior stint, completed their successful season by both running and completing the state race with personal best times.

“Even though Octavio and Hunter were both in their first seasons running the high school cross country 5K and performed like more experienced veterans, placing in the top half of that elite field and turning in personal best times,” Coonrod said.

Rodriguez was the first of the two Ellsworth runners, and sixth out of the freshmen to finish, as he placed 42nd overall with a time of 17:55, with Kinsley not far behind, crossing the finish line at the 18:06 mark in the 48th spot.

“I’m very proud of the kids for what they accomplished this season,” Coonrod said. “3A is a tough classification, with many premier runners and teams. I always challenge them to be in the top half of the field … if you’re already in the top half, getting on up to the leaders is a lot closer. With the younger runners that are poised to return next season, 2026 looks to be another strong one for Ellsworth cross country.”

Completing their final season as Bearcat cross country runners are Kinsley, Thomas and senior Kate Rathbun.

“We will lose three great seniors to graduation next May — Kate, Addison and Hunter. I can’t thank them enough for their dedication and for what they have done to help build our program over the years and in 2025,” Coonrod said.