Cross country, post State Championship, Lincoln East boys are rising in the ranks

Hazel Ockander, Staff Writer • November 15, 2024

Senior Caleb Ruch (R), and junior Ben Schlegelmilch lead the race early on in the District Meet. They have been working together all year to be the best they can.

On October 25, the Class A NSAA State Championships was held in Kearney, Nebraska where the runners battled it out for the last time this season. Cross country has made quite a name for itself here at Lincoln East High School, and this year was no exception. The Boys team got 3rd, which was their best finish since 1984, and the girls team, six-peat state champions (2018-2023), got 8th. With four coaches helping out the team every day, it makes sense that East Cross Country deserves the awards they have earned over the years.

Brian Kabourek has been the head coach for this team for many years who values hardwork and dedication, pushing everyone to be the best versions of themselves that they can. Alongside him, his assistant coaches, Drew Willis, Bonnie Wineman, and the newest of them all who just joined this year, Jenny Kortus. Kabourek has helped cultivate amazing runners throughout the years with un-measured amounts of talent, and this year it seemed to really pay off.

“In general I think that this season went well,” Kabourek said.“We had growth and improvement in more than just running”

The boys team was proud of their finish, with one of their best finishes in 40 years. The varsity team this year consisted of 3 seniors, Caleb Ruch, Krithic Pondicherry, and Luke Overbeek. With so many returning varsity members the boys will be prepared for next year to place even better.

“For me, state went pretty well, I ran an all-time PR and got a state medal,” Caleb Ruch, a senior on varsity said. “I’m just really happy with how we improved throughout the season and how we finished the year out.”

Kabourek has his own thoughts on the season as well, even sharing the secret to how he thinks that the boys improved.

“I think a lot of the improvement with the boys team was with stuff that they did in the off-season,” Kabourek said. “We had a lot of talent return, and many of the kids already had varsity experience so I think that that had a lot to do with it.”

Junior Ben Schlegelmilch, who will be the top varsity runner for East next year, has other ideas for why the team was able to excel this season, saying it might have less to do with talent and physical exertion than you may think.

“Team chemistry really helped,” Ben Schlegelmilch, a junior on varsity said. “We were always hanging out with each other and talking and talking over the race strategy.”

With an exciting ending to finish off the cross country season, the boys are looking forward to spring where they get to show off their talents in track. Hoping to continue improving in the winter off-season, the boys are reading themselves for a track season that surpasses their previous scores from past years.

About the Contributor

Hazel Ockander, Staff Writer

Hazel Ockander is sophomore at Lincoln East and this is her first year on The Oracle staff. This year, Hazel is excited to work on features and being able to interview people for her articles. Here at East, Hazel is involved in cross country, basketball and running hurdles on the track team. Outside of school, she loves to read, bake, and watch tv shows with her siblings. Hazel has three siblings, two older brothers named Korben and Eli, and then a younger sister named Evelyn. Along with her siblings, she has two pets in her household: a dog and a cat. Two of Hazel’s goals this year are to work harder and stop procrastinating. She has many activities that she is thrilled about, but the main subjects are being on staff and sports. This is only her first year but she is “very excited to write and publish articles,” Hazel said.