COLUMBIA — With both the Hermann Bearcat and Lady Bearcat cross country teams once again on the Gans Creek Cross Country Course during the 2025 Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Cross Country Championships held Saturday morning in Columbia, Hermann High School (HHS) head cross country coach Keely Uthlaut was hoping to add more information to the wall in the training room at HHS.

Starting with the Class 2 Boys race in Columbia, senior Nolan Kopp was able to end his outstanding Bearcat cross country career with another state medal to his credit after a 12th-place time of 16:24.70.

Running as high as fifth at the three-kilometer split, Kopp was able to hold on down the final stretch of the course to stay in the top 30 and earn All-State honors.

“Nolan has been a workhorse over the last four years,” Uthlaut said. “I’m proud of him for overcoming a foot injury to end his HHS cross country career with an all-state finish.”

Junior Ryker Ash spent the majority of his race in the fifties before passing seven runners over the final kilometer enabling him to cross the finish line in a 47th-place time of 17:35.70.

Fellow junior Nathan Menke just missed the top 50 after he was 48th at the 3K split.

Finishing in a 51st-place time of 17:41.00, Menke and Ash will be Hermann’s top returning runners next fall.

Sophomore CJ Mires started out 55th at the 1K split before moving as high as 44th at the 2K split.

Passed by a handful of runners in the latter stages of the race, Mires ended his second year of HHS cross country with a 61st-place time of 17:52.00 on the state course at Gans Creek.

Junior Chase Branson was 93rd at the 1K split before moving up 12 spots into 81st place at the 2K split.

Getting as high as 76th at the 3K split, Branson ended his junior season with an 83rd place time of 18:10.50.

Senior Eric Chorley made the biggest move of all seven Hermann Bearcat harriers.

Sitting in 126th place at the 1K split, Chorley gradually moved his way into the top 100 in 94th place at the 4K split before holding that position across the finish line in a time of 18:20.40.

Rounding out Hermann’s contingency of Bearcats was junior Colin Nunnally.

Starting out at 146th place after the 1K split, Nunnally end his cross country season with a time of 20:15.80 good for 157th place.

Hermann’s Bearcats were in team trophy contention the majority of the race sitting as high as third place at the 3K split, knocked out of the top four by McAuley Catholic, Uthlaut’s Bearcats wound up with a fifth-place team score of 165 points just behind Fatima’s fourth-place total of 161 points.

Narrowly qualifying for state after a fourth-place team finish at districts, Keely Uthlaut’s Lady Bearcat cross country team picked up four positions in the final two kilometers of the Class 2 girls race to post a 12th-place team score of 272 points.

Hermann’s Lady Bearcats were led by junior Cecilia Shepard and her 42nd-place time of 21:21.40.

Shepard was 57th at the 1K split before working her way through the field of runners and into the top 50.

Senior Alaina Heaney was as high as 63rd place at the 3K split before ending her HHS cross country career with a 74th-place time of 22:01.10 in Columbia.

Freshman Lorena Uthlaut made the biggest move for the Lady Bearcats starting at 116th place crossing the 1K split.

She would then climb 30 spots before crossing the finish line in an 86th-place time of 22:23.20.

Two more freshmen were the next Lady Bearcats to cross the Gans Creek finish line.

Eileen Swofford started in 149th at the 1K split before ending up with a time of 23:45.90 good for 140th place.

Fellow freshman Fynnlee Riffle moved up seven spots from 148th place at the 1K split to post a final time of 23:49.20 good for 141st place.

Senior Elaina Uthlaut was 156th at the 2K split before moving up 13 spots giving her a final time of 24:01.10 good for 143rd place in her final race as a HHS Lady Bearcat cross country runner.

Junior Lillian Vogelsang rounded out Hermann’s contingency of Lady Bearcats placing 149th in a time of 24:21.00.

“I’m proud of all of my runners for being able to end their seasons on the state course,” Uthlaut said. “This experience will only give us that much more motivation to improve and work towards getting on the podium next year.”