For the last two years, Bethany Slovensky earned all-Eastern Missouri Conference honors in basketball and track.

On Oct. 15, the Wellsville-Middletown junior picked up an all-EMO award in a new sport – cross country.

Slovensky received all-league notice by finishing 15th with a season-best time of 24:03.23 in the girls race of the Eastern Missouri Conference championship meet at North Callaway High School. The top 15 finishers at the EMO meet are awarded all-conference.

“It meant a lot for me this year because in the past two years, I wasn’t able to run very well due to my injury,” Slovensky said. “I’m still hurting while I run, but I was happy that I got 15th.”

W-M sophomore Hunter Bickell also picked up an all-EMO cross country award for the first time, placing 15th with a personal-best 18:25 in the boys race.

“I was shocked that I got it,” Bickell said. “I was looking at times and I was 18th in times. It means a ton because, in my opinion, we’re in one of the hardest conferences because we’re in 1A. All of the other schools are in 2A and 3A. They’re schools that are a lot bigger than we are. It just amazed me that I was able to do it.”

Slovensky and Bickell were the only runners who earned all-conference honors for the Tigers, who placed fifth in the both girls and boys divisions. The girls scored 85 points, while the boys had 102.

Slovensky defeated Mark Twain’s Ava Roberts in a photo finish for 15th place. She beat Roberts by three-hundredths of a second.

“I was 16th for a really long time,” Slovensky said. “I knew who this girl was and I just had to get close enough because my kick will take care of it since I’m a sprinter. So I was getting pretty close. One girl came back and passed us both and I was heartbroken for like 200 meters left in the race. When I saw that finish line around the corner, I was like, ‘I think I can do this.’ So I started picking it up.”

After qualifying for the state meet in her freshman year, Slovensky had an injury-riddled sophomore season last fall. At one point, she had to go through acupuncture.

“I don’t really enjoy cross country running, but it was more painful watching the season go by than to actually run,” Slovensky said. “So I’m glad I get to run this year even though I’m in a lot of pain. But I’m able to do things and succeed in it. I’m very thankful for that.”

Bickell earned his sixth medal of the season. The sophomore said the all-conference award will give him a boost of confidence for the Class 1 district meet, which is scheduled for Oct. 29 at Fulton.

“Our district this year is going to be a lot easier than it has been the past few years,” Bickell said. “I did really well last year in districts and I did even better at conference this year. I plan for a good year.”

Bickell defeated Bowling Green’s Jose Soto by three-tenths of a second for 15th place.

“I was coming around the curb and I was 20 meters behind Bowling Green, which was 15th,” Bickell said. “All I was thinking to myself was I’m not going to run three miles in the fastest time I ever ran in my life by 30 seconds just to come in one place short of a medal. So I gave everything I had and I got it.”

Also, senior Kaleb Peak came up four places short of an all-EMO award, finishing 19th with a 19:06 in the boys race. Jonah Slovensky (30th), Gage Marshall (31st), Zackery Vogel (41st) and AJ Sherwood (44th) were the other W-M runners in the boys race.

Also running for the Tigers in the girls race were Natalie Boeckelman (21st), Jenelle Boeckelman (23rd), Molly Scott (29th) and Indica Scott (31st).