The Class 4, District 3 cross country meet on Nov. 1 at Sioux Passage Park in Florissant was a successful one for the Warrenton Warriors as they qualified three runners to the Class 4 state meet at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course.

Landon Neace, Matt Craven and Makenna Faubion will represent Warrenton at the state meet on Nov. 7 as they all placed in the top 30 at districts. Neace finished 22nd in 18 minutes, 27 seconds and Craven came in 23rd in 18:29 in the boys race and Faubion placed 30th in 22:27 in the girls race.

It took several chaotic moments for Faubion to find out whether she was going to Columbia. After crossing the finish line in the girls race, Faubion thought she finished 30th to earn a state berth. However, the live results initially listed her in 31st, one spot short of state qualification. 

“I was so sure I was 30th, but my mom came up to me and said, ‘I’m so sorry, it said you came in 31st,’ and I remember thinking this was the last thing I ever wanted to happen. I was so disappointed. I was sitting on the ground and I was just so mad,” Faubion said.

Minutes later, the results were corrected and had Faubion in 30th place.

“I was so happy and I was kind of stunned for a second,” Faubion said. “All the hard work I put in over these last few months, ever since summer, it all paid off.” 

Faubion said before districts, she had pictured herself running the course – something she often does before meets. 

“The whole way here on the bus I had my eyes closed and I pictured how I felt going up the hills and I visualized it all. It really helped,” Faubion said. “I just really, really wanted to go to state. It’s been one of my goals since the very beginning. I really want to PR and break 21.” 

Warrenton coach Jeremy Collins was happy to see Faubion qualify for state. 

“I had counted that she was 30, but the results on my phone said 31 so I thought I had miscounted. I was really sad for her at first, but then my phone refreshed,” Collins said. “It was really exciting to see all of her hard work and just how tough she ran and the effort she put into the race.” 

Craven said he was thrilled for Faubion to qualify in her first season with the Warrenton cross country team.

“I am really happy for her,” he said. “She deserves it.”

Neace finished with his second-best time of the season at districts. The week before, he ran a season-best time of 17:55 at the Clayton Invitational.

“I had a change in shoes and I think my spikes are what has helped me,” Neace said. “I also just came in openminded, ready to run and confident.” 

Neace finished as the Warriors’ top runner in the boys division for the second meet in a row.

“(Neace) was behind me the whole time and I didn’t want him to beat me this race like he did at Clayton, but he got me at the end and I was happy for him,” Craven said. 

Neace hopes to turn in another strong effort in Columbia.

“I feel ready to run and I’m going for a PR,” the freshman said. “I’m very fortunate to have (Craven), Jonathan (Sweitzer) and our whole team right by me and supporting me throughout the year.” 

Craven qualified for state for the second year in a row. He said he came into districts with a relaxed headspace.

“I’ve already gone to districts once and I went to state from that district, so my mindset going into this was it’s just districts again and all I should do is run how I ran last year, run with all my heart and then I’ll go,” Craven said. “I used that to my advantage and ran how I wanted to run.” 

Craven said he plans to keep that same mindset for state. 

“It’s state again, so I’ll leave it all out there and I don’t have pneumonia this year, so it’ll be fine,” Craven laughed. 

The district course on Sioux Passage was a difficult one for all runners. Considered as one of the hardest courses in the state due to its hilly terrain, the three runners had to be strong physically and mentally.

“I didn’t run the hills very well but I recovered after getting up them and passing people,” Neace said. 

Faubion used a big hill in the beginning of the race to get ahead quickly. 

“I was using the downhills with my long legs and getting good strides and then I would really push myself on the uphills and go all the way through the hill,” Faubion said. 

Craven decided to take the first hill at a medium pace to conserve his energy. 

“I stayed in the back of the top 30 because I thought if I run the first part slowly, I can move up ahead of everyone else in the last part,” Craven said. 

Collins was proud of his team’s mental strength to get through the course. 

“They knew how tough it was going to be and they went out there and competed,” Collins said. 

Craven and Neace are scheduled to run at 11 a.m. and Faubion will race at 11:45 a.m. Collins said with only six days to prepare for the state meet, the trio is focused on recovery and readiness. 

“We’ll decrease the volume and try to be as fresh as possible for state,” he said. “Once we get to state, they’ll be ready to run and hopefully get some PR’s.”