By Skip Weaver
Contributing Writer
TROY – The only thing that could have made a better day for Middletown senior Will Parsons is if he would have qualified for next week’s state cross country meet.
Parsons gave everything he had on the 3½-mile flat course in Saturday’s Division I regional cross country race outside of Troy’s Hobart Arena, but it still left him just a few seconds short of competing for one more week.
Still, he was extremely excited to have recorded his best time ever in 16 minutes, 23.39 seconds, more than a minute faster than his district time a week ago.
“It is a bittersweet feeling right now,” Parsons said. “It was my last high school race, but I’m really glad I got my PR (personal record). It’s a really tough course, and it’s always windy. I just tried to go out easier this year because I went out too fast last year and ended up placing in the 60’s somewhere. It really was a big difference for me.”
Parsons was 21st overall on Saturday, about 17 seconds out from a state berth.
“That is the best finish we’ve had here since 2005,” longtime Middletown cross country coach Dave Fultz said.
Paul Sauter finished 14th overall in 2005 and led the Middies to a runner-up finish in the team standings and a state berth.
“Will has had such a great season,” Fultz said. “I’m kind of emotional right now. We just wanted to come up here and lay it on the line, so for him to do this is just awesome.”
Fultz said this kind of finish should also motivate Parsons for his distance running during track season next spring.
“I am so motivated for track season,” Parsons agreed. “I want to keep building off this and make some noise in track.”
The day also was the end of the line for two other Middletown area runners.
Middletown Christian senior Becca Wheeler was unable to make a return trip to the state meet after finishing 38th overall in Saturday’s Division III girls’ race. Her time was 21:10.05.
Monroe sophomore Matthew Wackler ran a time of 19:12.07 and placed 120th overall in the Division II boys’ race.
Click on Parsons, Wackler, Wheeler miss out on state berths to see more discussion.
