Two all-state cornerstones led Platte County’s lineup for three straight years, but this year’s roster includes a promising collection of contributors hoping to provide a collective replacement. The Pirates finished 10th in the final standings of the Class 4 MSHSAA Cross Country Championships last fall — the best showing since coming in eighth back in 2020 and an improvement after being 13th in 2021 and 14th in 2022.
Platte County brings back seniors Madison Palmer and Brooklynne Jenni plus juniors Joanna Reil and Nora McCoy from that collective, and Annabel Beeman, another senior, served as an alternate and ran at state as a sophomore. That gives the Pirates five runners with state experience plus a group of recent contributors that include senior Alexia Myer and juniors Maddie Stewart, Lexi Meinke and Indigo Teufel.
Undoubtedly, the combined losses of four-year state qualifier Carmen Gentilia and arguably the best distance runner in school history (Sisely Mitchell) plus a pair of runners with multiple seasons of postseason experience hurt.
Platte County’s program continues to grow, and external concerns don’t factor into the mindset. The Pirates expect to find a way to compete for Suburban Conference White Division and postseason titles regardless of circumstances thanks to a shared mindset that starts at the top.
“I personally think this is the best sport for me to coach,” Platte County coach Courtland Ingram said. “What these kids do on a daily basis between training and their academic loads and involvement in leadership and other activities within the school is incredible. The things they learn in turn teach me and help me to grow to be a better coach for them and for the future kids that run for our team. I could not be more grateful to them and their families for their support to myself and other coaches.”
Palmer (72nd), Jenni (115th) and Reil (116th) combined with Platte County’s two all-state runners to post last year’s team score of 212.
A three-time state qualifier, Palmer saw her season limited due to a hip injury but came back to run at state for the first time since finishing 144th as a freshman and set a career-best time of 20 minutes, 56.00 seconds — her third straight race under 22 minutes. She missed the 2022 state race due to illness.
After taking Palmer’s place at the last minute in that race and finishing 146th, Reil posted a career-best 21:51.00 in last year’s finale — just her second sub-22 minute run and first since the 2023 opener. She came in one spot behind Jenni, who completed her first season at Platte County with the team’s fourth-fastest time at state. She did not run in the Pirates’ Class 4 District 4 runnerup effort that sent them to state for a fourth straight year but earned her spot back with a strong performance in the alternate race.
Jenni posted her career-best at 21:46.80, shaving 42 seconds off of her time from conference.
Stewart filled out Platte County’s lineup at districts but ended up not finishing the race in what ended up an unfortunate conclusion to her season. While Jenni transferred in to make her debut with the Pirates, McCoy went out for cross country after giving up other sports and rapidly progressed into a lineup mainstay. She also posted a career-best time at state (21:56.60, 118th) and went under 22 minutes for the first time while running 28 seconds faster than she did on the state course earlier in the season during the Gans Creek Classic.
Palmer, Reil and McCoy were among the seven Platte County runners to earn All-White Division honors with top-12 showings while helping the Pirates to their first conference title since 2016.
Mitchell and Gentilia took the top two spots in that race ahead of the postseason and then finished their careers as all-state runners. Mitchell (third) made the podium for a third straight team and concluded a decorated career that blossomed once she gave up ice hockey and volleyball in the fall prior to her sophomore season to focus on distance running. She quickly recorded a sub-20 time in her first year of cross country and ultimately broke 19 minutes and then set the school record, breaking all program marks three-time all-state runner Rebekah Geddes put up from 2014-2016.
Geddes did not run as a senior after graduating high school early.
After coming in 11th as a sophomore and 12th as a junior, Mitchell moved all the way up to third this year in 18:28.60 — the fastest state time ever for a Platte County runner and just 0.1 of a second off the school record she set two weeks earlier at conference. She combined with Gentilia and Alex Beeman to give the Pirates three seniors in most races after they didn’t have any in a race for the entirety of the previous two seasons.
The final link left to the 2020 state team that came in eighth in Class 4, Gentilia carved out a fitting conclusion for the promise she showed over four years in the varsity lineup, placing eight in her final race. As a freshman, she was one of five runners to qualify as individuals that season to earn the right to post a team score — one that ended up good enough to be in the top half of the field.
Gentilia placed 46th as a freshman before injuries slowed her progress as a sophomore. She battled back to make the postseason again and posted finishes of 56th and 30th her next two years before setting a personal-best of 18:55.60 to earn a top-10 medal, while becoming the third in program history to run sub-19 minutes in a race.
Mitchell and Gentilia are two of just seven to go under 20 minutes at Platte County.
Alex Beeman finished her career as a three-time state qualifier and placed 135th in her final race after being 106th as a sophomore and 142nd as a junior. Her career-best time ended up being at state in 2021. The Pirates’ senior class also included Marissa Orellana, who placed as a junior and 132nd as a sophomore at state but served as an alternate for last year’s team after running only five races during the regular season due to injury.
While Platte County returns five with state experience, Myer produced a standout track season in middle distance running, while Teufel and Meinke contributed in distance events and could make a jump up the lineup.
