Busters second at Region VI meet

By ROB HOUSTON
houston@gctelegram.com

Dane Steward and Nate Preston compliment each other well on the cross country course.

The Garden City Broncbuster freshmen runners are strong where the other needs a boost. Monday at the Region VI cross country meet at Buffalo Dunes Golf Course, the GCCC duo pushed each other once again to great heights.

Steward and Preston finished 2-3 in the men's 8-kilometer race, leading the Broncbusters to a second-place finish behind Butler. The Grizzlies totaled 39 points, followed by Garden City (63), Johnson County (73), Hutchinson (122), Cowley (123), Pratt (167), Colby (183), Neosho County (220), Highland (239), Cloud County (254) and Allen County (295).

Steward finished in 26 minutes, 33.75 seconds, 20 second behind region champion Joseph Maina of Butler. Preston was next, in 27:06.54.

"I couldn't have done it without Nate," Steward said. "He helped me out there in the first two or three miles, really pulled me through."

Steward and Preston were 1-2 at the 2-mile mark, but Maina passed them before they reached 4 miles.

T.J. Strangeowl recorded his best finish of his injury-plagued season, finishing eighth in 27:48.65. Cheto Cerda was 20th in 28:59.96 while Muluken Osman finished 30th in 29:37.36. James Hataway was 36th (29:57.60) and David Obermeyer came in 40th (30:05.75), as the Broncbusters, tied for eighth in the nation with Johnson County, defeated the Cavaliers and everyone else except for No. 4 Butler.

"Muluken, James, our last couple of guys, we've been telling them all year, ?Get out of your comfort zone'" Preston said. "I think today they got out of their comfort zone a little bit. They opened up the can and let it all out."

Competitors ran the back nine at Buffalo Dunes, including running up the hill leading to No. 17 green three times. The Broncbusters think training there helped them in Monday's race.

Especially Steward and Preston.

"Dane I don't think is as strong through the hills," Preston said. "We go out and run all the time. On those hills, I've just been getting after him, getting after him. It's a switch-off. He helps me with my stride on the flats, and I help him get up those hills."

Steward, Preston and Strangeowl were named All-Region VI for finishing in the top 10, while Steward and Preston were named All-Jayhawk West as well. Strangeowl just missed out on all-conference honors, which went to the top seven runners in each conference. The top Jayhawk East runner finished ninth overall.

"We've got nine freshmen in," said GCCC coach Dan Delgado, who was named the Region VI men's coach of the year by a vote of his peers Monday. "These guys are going to be back next year, and there's going to be other kids coming in that are the caliber of T.J. and Dane. But that's what Garden City's about, getting the best athletes we can to compete with Butler and Johnson."

Garden City will compete at the NJCAA national tournament Nov. 5 at Rim Rock Farms in Lawrence.