Great Bend’s Addy Nicholson captures WAC Runner of Year

Lady Panther claims individual title, leads team to crown

When Lyles Lashley moved from nearby Ellinwood to Great Bend seven seasons ago, he knew exactly what he wanted to accomplish taking over a Class 5A program.

After all, he had guided the Ellinwood team to a three Class 2A boys state titles and one girl’s championship for the Eagles.

His development from the little kids’ track and field program then to middle school before entering the high school competitive life has proven to be successful in many ways.

The Lady Panthers had easily captured the 2021 Western Athletic Conference title and then moved on to place third in the Class 5A state meet at 4-Mile Creek Resort near Augusta.

With a few seniors having graduated, the Panthers knew they had a strong corps of runners returning for the 2022 season and that group has not disappointed. 

On October 13, the Panthers went 1-2 and then 9-10-11-12 at the WAC Championship over the hilly layout of Buffalo Dunes Golf Course in Garden City to finish with 33 points, well ahead of runner-up Garden City’s 52.

In the process, junior Addy Nicholson captured the individual title over the 4-kilometer layout with a time of 16:16.50 to finish ahead of sophomore teammate Marissa Boone’s 16:23.00. That victory earned Nicholson the WAC Girls Runner of the Year award and a repeat win for Lashley as WAC Girls Coach of the Year.

“I think one of the big factors that we’ve been able to accomplish is developing depth for the team,” Lashley said of his girls’ team. “Our overall depth doesn’t drop off a lot from our one through seven runners. It’s an interchangeable group. Sometimes our No. 1 finishes fourth or fifth, sometimes our No. 5 finishes first or second. It has helped to have strength in numbers.”

Nicholson, who was fifth individually in 2021 at the WAC, said she was motivated along with her teammates to keep improving after last year’s accomplishments.

“I think since we had some seniors last year, there was just some pressure on everyone to do well,” Nicholson said in a telephone interview. “We were a young team aside from a couple of seniors. I think we knew that with all the returning runners we would have a good chance to win the WAC title again.”

Lashley said one of the extra benefits for his team is that the Panthers have an outstanding cross country course at Lake Barton to practice on.

“Buffalo Dunes was very similar to our course at Lake Barton,” Lashley said. “There are some hills, lots of turns and grass on which to run. Our course allows us to practice on different ground conditions which I think translates into running well no matter where we go.”

Both Lashley and Nicholson said the success of the team begins with its summer workouts. Running many miles each week develops a base conditioning that carries over into the fall season.

“The mileage training is the main key to doing well in the fall,” Lashley said. “Cross country is so much different than track and field. In the spring, its three months and you’re done. Cross country championships are won in the summer. The hard work pays off. I think one of the things about cross country is that you don’t have to be this super athlete. You can develop really good runners in cross country and you’re only as good as your fifth runner.”

Nicholson and Boone lead a contingent of underclassmen who will return in 2023 in search of the trifecta or hat-trick WAC championship, but for the moment focused on the Class 5A state meet on Oct. 29 at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence.

Winning the WAC in her junior year fulfills one of several goals for Nicholson.

“It means a lot,” Nicholson said. “There are some really good runners from the other schools, and we have a lot of competition within our own team. I’ve improved a lot from my freshman to sophomore to junior seasons. This just shows how much I’ve improved.”

As she has evolved through her three years of running, Nicholson said she has strived to develop more consistency from meet to meet.

“I’ve tried to develop a mentality of running my best each week, pushing myself to never be satisfied,” she said. “I was determined to be all-WAC. I am stronger and I have felt better and that is because of all the work I put in during the summer. I’ve done weights to increase my strength, I’m eating better and healthier and I’m getting enough sleep.”

Lashley said he has seen continued growth from this group of girls since they move into the high school program. Now, the team has juniors, sophomores and freshmen with middle school girls coming up in the ensuing years.

“Next year, we’ll add in an eighth grader who will fight for a position and add to our depth,” Lashley said. “The competition makes everybody better and experience helps. You learn how to push yourself and know you’re going to have to work hard to make the top seven. Part of that is maturity in doing all of the right things, all the little things.”

The Lady Panthers followed the WAC championship with a 5A regional team title on their home Lake Barton layout, scoring 42 points to defeat a strong Maize South team. They will be among the favorites to battle for the state title on Oct. 29 at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence.

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2022 WAC Girls Cross Country
Final Team Standings

	School	Points
1	Great Bend	33
2	Garden City	52
3	Hays High	71
4	Liberal	92
5	Dodge City	115

All-WAC First Team

Name	School	Year
Addy Nicholson	Great Bend	Jr.
Marissa Boone	Great Bend	So.
Daniela Cerda	Liberal	Jr.
Jocelyn Sosa	Garden City	Sr.
Alex Gere	Dodge City	Sr.
Cate Wiese	Garden City	So.
Natalie Guevara	Garden City	So.

All-WAC Second Team

Name	School	Year
Arely Maldonado	Hays	Jr.
Eliana Beckham	Great Bend	Jr.
Morgan Beckwith	Great Bend	Jr.
Sienna Smith	Great Bend	Fr.
Reese King	Great Bend	So.
Avery Winter	Hays	Sr.
Samantha Orozco	Garden City	Sr.