By Tim SchmidtRecord Managing EditorFor the running duo of Jynna Fritz and Erin Tomschin, they were at opposite ends of the spectrum following Saturday’s MSHSAA Cross Country Championships.Fritz was disappointed with her performance as her time slipped a bit from last year, while Tomschin was satisfied with shaving almost a minute off.Nonetheless, both were able to finish in the upper half of the Class 2 race that featured the state’s elite and a total of 161 runners overall. “The girls did an awesome job,” Head Coach Sue Wright said. “I always tell them it’s not about what place you are, but what your time is.”Fritz, a three-time state qualifier, placed 54th overall in 22 minutes, 8.10 seconds. She fell back from last year’s state race when she finished 43rd in 21:57.As a sophomore, she was 40th in 21:46.11“I felt like my junior year was my best year running,” Fritz said.In Saturday’s race, Fritz knew from experience to stay within herself early to be better prepared for the challenging “fireman’s hill” near the end of the course.“My strategy was to save energy for fireman’s hill, which I did,” she said. “I got through it with no problem.”Wright said her senior leader has accomplished a lot over the years.“She’s unbelievable,” Wright remarked. “I said the hardest thing about coaching is that you lose your players. You always have someone that steps up and Jynna has been a godsend. She did an awesome job and I can’t say enough about her.”Fritz plans on continuing her running career at Missouri Baptist University.“I told her she’s stepping into a new program of running and starting a new era,” Wright said. “This isn’t her last cross country meet, she’s stepping into a new environment, and that’s great. I told her to be excited about it, rather than worry about it. That’s what’s tough about a small school, everybody is so close. She’s done a great job, we’re going to miss her without a doubt."Tomschin, meanwhile, remains the future of the program. The two-time state qualifier placed 67th in 22:30.85.As a sophomore, she was 103rd in 23:29.“It was a lot better than last year,” Tomschin said. “My time was a lot better. It was a lot easier to know what was coming up and not having to guess.”Fatima sophomore Brianna Haller won the Class 2 title for the second year in a row. Her time of 18:49.37 was 46 seconds faster than her time in the 2014 race. Fatima junior Anna Massman was second in 19:05.21.Thanks to having all five scoring runners place in the top 15 and two others in the top 28, Fatima won the team championship with 37 points, seven ahead of Herculaneum. Bowling Green was a distant third with 116 points. The Bobcats’ top runners were freshman Kate Klott and senior Sierra St. Aubyn in 13th and 14th, respectively, in 20:34.52 and 20:39.39.

Wright City senior Jynna Fritz, left, closes in on the finish line during Saturday’s MSHSAA Cross Country Championships in Jefferson City. Fritz, a three-time state qualifier, placed 54th in the Class 2 race. Kory Carpenter photos.

Erin Tomschin of Wright City finishes up her race during Saturday’s Class 2 state cross country meet. Tomschin finished in 21:39.41, good enough for 66th place.