Republic sophomores Brylie Harris and Zoey Johns picked the perfect time for their best races of the season. Both ran personal bests at the Class 5 District 2 meet in Nixa, earning spots in this week’s state championship.
Harris placed 20th in 19:34.21—nearly 30 seconds faster than her previous best from the Central Ozark Conference meet. She said she battled nerves early but settled in quickly. “I was really nervous before, and I was excited at the same time, but I was really glad I was racing with a lot of girls that could push me to get faster and do better,” she said. “I was just remembering I’ve been practicing all season for this and pushing myself, and God just has me throughout this whole race and has given me this ability, and I just wanted to glorify Him through the whole race.”
Johns’s qualifying run came down to the wire. Her time of 19:54.08 placed her 30th—good for the final qualifying spot—and shaved more than a minute off her previous best. “As I was running the curve, there’s people passing me ’cause I was dying,” she said. “I heard that I was 30th and I was like… ‘I’ve got to book this. I’ve got to give it everything that I’ve got.’” She crossed the line alone, unsure she’d done enough. “I PR’d by over a minute… I didn’t know I had that in me.”
Their career-best runs and state-qualifying finishes are our Performances of the Week.
