Owensboro Catholic senior John Cason has been named The Owensboro Times Boys’ Cross Country Runner of the Year.
Though he didn’t quite hit his personal goal, Cason was the clear leader for the Aces all season long and capped off his career with a fairly consistent senior campaign.
“The season went pretty well as a whole, although I did really want to break (16 minutes on a 5K run),” he said. “I was happy with how I ran.”
He came close in the Fast Cats Classic at Yellow Creek Park, finishing in 16:01.25 to place fifth in a field full of talent from several states.
Cason won two events this year, taking the top spot in both the region tournament and the Owensboro Invitational. He finished his career with a sixth-place result in the state meet.
Head coach Scott Lowe said his top runner exceeded expectations this year.
“His work ethic was evident in how he handled himself this year and that was what made him successful,” Lowe said. “His maturity and strength improved tremendously over the course of the year.”
Cason said he had plenty of people pushing him to keep getting better, and he took training to a higher level.
“A lot of hard work and support from family members, teammates and coaches all played a big role in how I ran this season, and it really helped me push to achieve my goals,” he said. “I feel like I trained smarter and learned my body a lot more this season, which helped me get the most out of my training workouts and knowing when I needed rest.”
Cason is now going to focus on his senior track season at Catholic. Though he does plan to keep running at the collegiate level, he hasn’t made an official decision yet.
As for his time with the Aces, Cason is grateful to end his cross country career on a high note.
“The accomplishments meant a lot for me this year,” he said. “Having a strong senior season is always nice to end a high school career on. I’m very proud of the accomplishments I have made, and more importantly I’m just proud to be on a team with such a great group of individuals and teammates.”
Stay up to date on all your local sports coverage by following @OwensboroSports on Twitter and by liking us on Facebook.
