Until someone claims a state championship, Cody Kelley will forever be etched in the Manitou Springs history books as the best in the cross-country program’s history.
Kelley put together the best race of his career, crossing the finish line in 15 minutes, 59 seconds to finish second at the Class 3A state race. It’s the best finish at state for any Manitou Springs runner.
“One of my biggest goals was to leave behind a legacy,” Kelley said. “Leave something that everyone can be proud of and having the best finish of anyone at a state meet is the best way I can think of doing that.”
Last year, Kelley was among the first runners who were held out of the top finishers box, which identified the top 10.
I’m incredibly proud of them. – Andy Sherwood
His goal was to get in there this year and as luck would have it, only TCA’s Matthew Edwards got in ahead of him. To make the finish even better, fellow Mustang Cody Wyman was the seventh runner to cross the line and got to stand with Kelley on the podium when awards were handed out.
“I’m incredibly proud of them,” coach Andy Sherwood said. “The work has been done over the last three years for both of them. When I was first coaching track at Manitou in the spring of 2021, I was on a run with three guys.
“It was Connor Cassidy, Cody Kelley and Cody Wyman. Thinking about where they were at that time, and where they are now and who they are now, it’s a testament to how powerful high school athletics is.”
As a team, the Mustangs finished sixth of 20. They were hoping for a better team finish, but there was no dampening the mood of what Kelley and Wyman did.
To make matters even better, freshman Elisa Karr finished 15th in the girls race. She was the only Manitou girl to qualify but has now set the standard for that team in the coming years.
“This is the moment where the girls step into the breach and understand what can be (done),” Sherwood said. “They’re going to have two, three or four years together, where Cody and Cody only had two years together. The competition on the girls side of 3A is still stiff, but they can get it if they want it.”
Manitou’s cross-country team might be the fall program best positioned for long-term success. and Sherwood is excited to see how both teams develop heading into 2024.