During the Class 5 District 4 Cross Country Meet on Saturday, November 1, senior Landon Blew made impressive strides as he qualified for the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) State Championship.
The district meet was held at Lee’s Summit North High School, where the Eagles faced strong competition from 17 schools across the Kansas City metropolitan area, including Blue Springs, Blue Springs South, Lee’s Summit, Lee’s Summit North and Lee’s Summit West, Staley, Liberty and Liberty North, Park Hill, and Park Hill South, among others.
With elite competitors everywhere he looked, Landon entered the race ranked 45th. But those rankings didn’t faze him — he delivered a career-best 5K (3.1 miles) and crossed the finish line with a time of 16:06.42.
Landon’s time secured an 18th-place finish among 121 runners. With a top-30 placement, he advances to the state meet.
“Finishing 18th in a race where he came in ranked 45th shows his confidence, toughness, and determination to give everything he had when it mattered most,” said Head Cross Country Coach Nick Small. “As a coaching staff, we couldn’t be more proud of Landon!”
The MSHSAA State Championship will take place on Friday, November 7, at 1:00 p.m. at Gans Creek in Columbia, Missouri. We wish Landon the best of luck as he prepares to compete for the Class 5 State Championship.