Saturday afternoon at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, yours truly had the good fortune of witnessing the end of a dream season of Owensville Dutchgirl Cross Country.

After the conclusion of the Class 3 Girls race during the 2024 Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Cross Country Championships, a lot of happy tears were being shed in the tunnel just beyond the finish line.

Claiming their first ever team trophy and OHS Cross Country’s first since 1995, Dutchgirl harriers Ilene Limberg, Brynn Wright, Abbie Gibson, Hannah Gehlert, Ali Daniels, Elaina Lebish and Leola Hamann exchanged hugs and tears celebrating their third-place team finish in MSHSAA Class 3 Girls Cross Country with a team score of 173 points.

“I had a dream at the beginning of the year that we could maybe pull this team together,” Candrl said. “After the Missouri Southern race in Joplin, I figured out that we had to get a stronger fifth (runner).

Already a standout on the basketball court and track, Daniels entered the cross country equation near the midway point of the season.

“By Ali coming in, that pushed our sixth and seventh runners even harder to try to be successful,” Candrl said. “With her competitive nature of hating to lose, it really helped our team chemistry.”

Daniels made her season debut at the annual Four Rivers Conference (FRC) meet held in St. Clair at their old airport.

Helping the Dutchgirls place second to Union’s Lady Wildcats in the varsity girls team standings, Daniels continued improving in her short time as a cross country runner.

“Ali just kept working hard and improving after the conference meet,” Candrl said.

Along with Daniels, Wright was also a multi-sport athlete with experience in softball, volleyball and track.

“I knew Brynn had the capability of being successful in cross country based on her willingness to compete in her other sports,” Candrl said.

Able to overcome numerous injuries throughout her high school career, Wright made through the entire cross country season healthy and able to help the Dutchgirls cement their place on the gym wall.

“I am grateful to have the experience of running cross country this season with Ilene, Abbie and Hannah,” Wright said. “I was so happy to make through an entire season healthy.”

Landing in the top 10 four previous times at state cross country, Candrl was finally able to get over the proverbial hump to claim his first ever team trophy in 19 years of coaching in Owensville.

“We were able to stay in third place all the way through the race,” Candrl said. “It was amazing because we had teams shifting in front of us and behind us in the team standings.”

With the graduation of four seniors, junior Hannah Gehlert will be the lone returning senior with experience on the state course in 2025.

“It’s amazing that we made history,” Gehlert said. “I can’t even believe it and it hasn’t set in yet. It was definitely a blessing from God that we were able to do this.”

While high school cross country season may be over, Gans Creek will host yet another major race involving Owensville area athletes.

On Friday, Nov. 22, several area athletes will converge on Columbia’s Gans Creek Cross Country Course for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Cross Country Championships.

Former Owensville Dutchgirl harrier Mekayla Gibson will lead William Woods University’s Lady Owls into Columbia fresh off their second straight American Midwest Conference (AMC) team title over the weekend following their annual conference meet at Hannibal-LaGrange University (HLGU) in northeast Missouri.

Kyah Weirich will also be running at Gans Creek along with Gibson for the Lady Owls.

Gibson and Weirich will race at 11:30 a.m., following the men’s race at 10:30 a.m.