Two Tigers make a run at state

Elizabeth Ulmer accomplished something that hadn’t happened in coach Tara Clark’s eight years as Smith-Cotton cross country coach.

Jenny Paul will try to duplicate the feat next season.

Ulmer, a senior, will compete in her third state cross country meet Saturday at the hilly Oak Hills Golf Center in Jefferson City.

Paul, a junior, competed in the state meet in her freshman year.

The teammates will compete in the Class 4 race that begins at 11:30 a.m. Smith-Cotton was a Class 3 school in 2006 and 2007 — the last time the school sent runners to state — and Clark said that’s a big jump.

“We were seventh in state two years ago in 3A. We went to 4A last year, and we beat Warrensburg in conference, and they went to 3A and finished seventh,” Clark said. “There’s a lot more competition” in Class 4.

The Lady Tigers finished fourth as a team in the district meet at the Cole County Fairgrounds in Jefferson City.

“I think the district was just as tough as the state course,” Clark said. “State will have lot more runners. There’s so many people there with four classes running. ... It’s really a big deal. There will be thousands of people there cheering them on.”

Clark said that a finish anywhere from 40 to 80 would be great, although Ulmer’s goal was a top-50 finish.

Ulmer placed eighth in state in 20 minutes, 1 second in the 2007 Class 3 meet. She finished 41st as a freshman in 21:04.42.

Ulmer finished 27th in the sectional race Saturday at Ha Ha Tonka State Park near Camdenton. Her time was 21:26.

Paul qualified for state with a 21st-place finish Saturday. Her time was 21:02.

Paul finished 36th in 21:26 as a freshman.