First Falcons

PERFECT FIRST — There will surely be a focus on Lancaster County cross country teams as the Nebraska state meet runs on Friday at Kearney Country Club.

The Lincoln East girls will try for their sixth consecutive state title in Class A and Norris will attempt to take a third straight Class B title with a team that’s filled with medal contenders. The Titans even defeated East at this year’s Platte River Rumble in September.

But there is another team making history on Friday with just very small intentions of a state championship. Last Wednesday at Overton Golf Club, the Lincoln Northwest girls team medaled three runners in the top-15 and finished third in the B-3 district.

And in doing so earned the Falcons the first team state berth in school history. In any sport, not just cross country. The moment was not lost on head coach Dan Bax.

“As the first team in school history, just being able to bring some pride to the hallways is a big deal for us,” the coach said. “And, we are a sport that people overlook sometimes and so being the first I think will help our program and people at the school will get behind us a little bit.”

The meet was a far cry from 2022 when Bax brought two runners — a boy and a girl — to the same race, in the school’s first year of existence. But junior Allana Detweiler qualified for the state meet and finished 70th.

This year, she’s a leader for a young squad that will take three freshmen and a sophomore with her to Kearney on Friday. All three freshmen medaled in the district race: Skye Tabke (7th, 20:41), Adanya VanArsdayle (14th, 21:47) and Hadyn Floyd (15th, 22:10).

Bax came to Northwest to start the program from Lincoln High when the school opened in the fall of 2022. Detweiler, who ran for him with the Links as a freshman and sophomore, chose to follow.

He said Detweiler — who ran fourth most of the 2023 season — will be a key piece to preparing the young Falcons for the state experience.

“It was one of those things (when she came with me) that I was like, ‘Do I really want her to come with me?’” Bax noted. “But, she came up to me when she made the decision and said her mom thought I was good for her. For Allana to be a part of this it means a lot.

“She has been a great leader for the rest of our team.”

Bax said late season ratings and watch lists were something that fueled his team as the conference and district meets approached.

“We thought we had a good chance,” Bax said, of qualifying. “We knew that we would be a team that would get better and better as the season came along and we have. It was our end goal all year long.

“For most of the season we weren’t really listed even as contenders and we told the girls that we would be right there. We used it a fuel the last few weeks.”

The cherry on top to last Wednesday’s day? That boy who just came to run last year — Travis Emblin — he qualified too, finishing 15th in 18:25.

“We brought Travis out last year just so he could experience the race,” Bax said of the sophomore. “We are so happy to get him through (to Kearney).

The history makers capped a season of growth for the Falcons. They had 12 athletes go out in their opening fall. This year, Bax had 29 athletes between his boys and girls teams.

And, now, it has a perfect ending. In Kearney, making history. For themselves and for their school.

Make it this far? Thanks! You can subscribe to our Newsletter to get these stories and more delivered to your inbox each Wednesday and Saturday. Still coming this week: recaps of state tennis and a historic final day of state softball.