Konnar McClendon, Canadian cross country, Jr.
On the course: Behind a strong outing from the standout junior, the Canadian Lady Cats were able to hold off Dalhart by eight points to win the program’s third straight District 1-3A Cross Country championship last week.
McClendon’s was magnificent pacing the Lady Cats to the team victory by bringing home her third straight individual district title with a time of 12:42 on a very hot, windy afternoon.
On the season, McClendon has a personal-best time of 12:04 and finished in the top 25 at the UIL Class 3A state meet a year ago.
Coach Aaron Marks: “Dalhart is a heck of a team, and we knew we’d have our hands full against them. It was very windy, and hot and a tough race to run. But the team rose to the occasion and were able to bring home a third straight district championship. Konnar was a big part of that. What she does is special. We don’t talk about individuals much, we are all about the team but when your best runner is your hardest worker and best teammate like Konnar is that goes a long way to be successful. We have a great group of runners on this team, and we just want to keep going and being great.”
McClendon: “It was an amazing experience to be able to win our third straight district championship. This program didn’t win one for over 30 years and now has three in a row. That’s just incredible. We just want to keep putting in the work and get better every week. Our goal is always to go state and see what happens. As for myself running this year, I feel my mental game is a lot better than it was the last two years. I’m really doing a good job of staying positive and my stamina is really good when I run.”
About McClendon
Favorite band or musician: TobyMac
Favorite social media platform: TikTok
Favorite athlete: Allyson Felix
Bet you didn’t know: She loves to play golf.
Parents: Ike and Kara McClendon