By CONOR NICHOLL

cnicholl@dailynews.net

WAMEGO -- As the defending state cross country champion, Downs-Lakeside senior Rachel Renken felt a lot of pressure entering the Class 1A State Championships Saturday morning at Wamego Country Club.

"Everybody was like, 'you got to win Rachel,' '" she said. "I was like, 'oh my gosh, don't say that. I hate that.' "

Renken's regular season and regional times weren't leading the classification. Bird City-Cheylin senior Naomi Reeh had beaten Renken earlier this fall by 20 seconds at the Hill City Invitational.

Before the race, Renken was uncertain whether she could win.

"I don't know if I'm going to be able to do it this year," she said. "My times are not first this year and there are like four people in front of me. Hopefully, if I can run a good race, maybe, but I don't know. I have the tendency to run bad races if I am under lots of pressure."

However, Renken took a big early lead before Reeh passed her. About 20 feet before the start of the final chute, Renken regained the lead and won her second straight state championship. Renken ran 15 minutes, 55.12 seconds to Reeh's 15:57.64, the first time Renken had been under 16 minutes since her freshman year.

"She wanted to run her own race," Downs-Lakeside coach Jim Neihouse said. "She did. She ran it just like she wanted. I think she would have preferred not to have to come back and kick at the end. But we have been working on the kick, too. She ran her race. She came up and dug down deep and came up with the kick at the end that she needed. It was awesome."

Renken became the second area girl in cross country history to win at least two individual titles, joining Grinnell's Wanda Rebarchek (1978-79). Renken is the 27th girl in state history, regardless of classification, to earn at least two titles, according to Kansas Sports Hall of Fame records.

"I saw potential in her all the way from the beginning," Neihouse said. "In fact, I don't think she has even scratched the surface. She can do even better when she gets to college. I am looking forward to see how she does."

Renken won last season's state cross country title in 16:13.26, 14 seconds ahead of Ness City's Kendra Pfannenstiel and nearly 30 seconds in front of her longtime rival, Mankato-Rock Hills' Hillary Callaway. A year later, Callaway had moved up to Class 2A. The favorites were Renken, Clifton-Clyde's Karly VanCampen, Pfannenstiel, Reeh and Tribune Greeley-County's Madison Moser. However, Ness City coach Patrick Younger, who had seen nearly all the favorites, thought Renken could pick up the championship.

"I was talking to my assistant coach (Friday) night, actually, and we were kind of discussing, kind of predicting what was going to go on in both guys' and girls' races," he said. "We both said if Renken was going to be stubborn -- I would think she is probably not pleased with a lot of her times this year up to this point -- but if she gets out in the race and remembers, 'wow, I won state last year.' I think she did, and she got out pretty fast like she wanted. She finished like she wanted it."

Reeh, who won the 3,200-meter title at state track last spring, helped start a Cheylin cross country program this season with two girls and three boys. The Cougars qualified three into the state meet, including Reeh, who was second to Moser at the Wheatland regional.

At state, though, Renken broke away from the pack early. She led by four seconds at the mile mark, seven seconds at the halfway point.

"I hate running with a group of people," Renken said. "It makes me so nervous. I think it makes me tighten up a little bit. I really like to be in front at the beginning because there isn't so much pressure."

"It was good," Reeh said. "It really pushed me."

Reeh, who ran in second nearly all race, caught Renken near the Wamego Country Club clubhouse with about half a mile left in the race.

"I was like, 'oh no, she beat me at the state track meet. I really don't want her to beat me again,' " Renken said.

"She let her get out a little bit farther than maybe we really liked," Neihouse said. "She kept on moving up and moving up and got her in her sights. ... As strong as Rachel is mentally and physically, I thought she had a good chance to get her. It was a great race."

Renken had little left, but caught and passed Reeh just before the chute to the finish line.

"I was usually like, I can get some sort of a kick towards the end," Renke said. "If I can stay close, maybe I can get her. If she doesn't kick too much, then maybe I can catch her. When she kept going after me, I was like, 'oh my gosh, I am so tired. I don't know if I can get her.' "

"That took a lot of intestinal fortitude and I am so proud of her," Neihouse said. "She did an awesome job."

Ness City takes third

Ness City, in its first year with a full girls' team, finished third and earned the final team trophy in Class 1A. Greeley County won state with 34 points, while Burrton was next with 45. Ness City had 59 points, just ahead of Lincoln. Pfannenstiel (16:38.72) led the team with a fifth-place finish.

"We were ecstatic in the girls' (race)," Younger said. "They didn't quite know. They knew it would be close. Kind of scared when I tallying up results since we only had four girls. I knew it would be close with Lincoln, thought that we maybe even tied them."

Other area medalists

Kensington-Thunder Ridge junior KimbraLee Adams was fourth in 1A (16:34.93), while Ness City junior Kendra Pfannenstiel was sixth (16:38.72). Almena-Northern Valley junior Kayla Lowry was 13th and Cheylin freshman Stephanie Busse was 14th. In Class 2A, Osborne senior Megan Burch finished 12th and freshman teammate Eileen Mick was 18th.