Brings Plenty earns first state cross country medal

By Andy Brown
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Updated: November 2, 2023

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Louisburg junior Jerynce Brings Plenty garnered his first state cross country medal last Saturday at the Class 4A state meet in Wamego.

WAMEGO — Jerynce Brings Plenty had being eyeing this race since the beginning of the season.

After missing out on the opportunity to run at the Class 4A Kansas State Cross Country Championships last fall due to an injury, Brings Plenty was itching at the chance to run against the state’s best.

He got that opportunity Saturday at the Wamego Country Club and he took full advantage.

Brings Plenty earned his first state cross country medal as he took 12th overall in a time of 16 minutes and 57 seconds. It has been a long time coming for the Louisburg junior.

“Getting 12th place and a state medal meant everything to me,” Brings Plenty said. “All season my main focus was to place as high as I could at state, especially since I had only placed 51st as a freshman and didn’t race my sophomore year.”

The 2023 season was a successful one for Brings Plenty as he earned a medal in every race he finished. He also moved up the school’s all-time leaderboard and currently holds the second fastest time.

“It was awesome to see Jerynce get his first cross country state medal,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “He worked hard all season and off season to put himself in position to earn a state birth and then a medal.”

The state race itself is always a difficult one and it was a competition that feature more than 100 runners. Brings Plenty managed to stay toward the front of the pack and work his way up from there.

“I’m pretty happy with how I performed on the day,” Brings Plenty said. “Going into the race I knew it was going to be a dogfight from start to finish and I was prepared to do whatever it took to stand my ground. In all honesty, I wish I would’ve placed higher, but there is nothing much I can do about it now other than come back better and stronger next year.”

It was a competitive field in the 4A boys race this season and featured several fast times. McPherson sophomore Caleb Mueller ran a time of 15:58 to win the state title as he edged out Eudora’s Zach Arnold by less than a second.

“The overall competition in all classes this year was tough,” Reece said.. “The times ran this year and the number of runners that could take a race at any given time was always a guessing game. Jerynce put himself in a great position early, but faded a little in the end. He did what he needed to do to give himself a chance and was rewarded for his effort.”

Senior Noah Cotter saw his season and Wildcat cross country career come to a close Saturday as well. Cotter finished 62nd in 18:23 to end a year that saw him earn All-Frontier League second team honors.

“Noah just missed last year and was determined to qualify this year as an individual if the team did not make it,” Reece said. “He did just that. He was sick the week of state, but powered through and ran the best he could in his final race of his cross country career. Noah is an awesome leader and the program will miss his grit and leadership. We wish him luck in his pursuits after high school.”