Last year, Zack Welker ran a mile during physical education class at Montgomery County High School.

His running impressed teacher Stephanie Finke.

“She asked if I wanted to do cross country,” Welker said.

Welker took Finke’s advice and joined the cross country team in the latter part of the 2021 season, running just two meets. Now, he’s one of the top runners on the boys team in 2022, earning medals in two races, the New Haven Invitational and the Forest Park Festival in St. Louis.

“I never would have been here if she hadn’t invited me to run,” Welker said.

The sophomore finished 14th with a career-best time of 18:55 at New Haven on Sept. 3 and placed 24th with a 19:07 at Forest Park the following week. Before this season, Welker didn’t have any medals in cross country.

Welker was the only MCHS runner to earn a medal at the New Haven meet. He said running the hilly, three-mile course at New Haven Park was not easy.

“It was hard,” Welker said. “During my third lap, I wasn’t feeling good at all.”

Welker was also the lone Wildcat to place in the boys race of the Forest Park Festival. He and his team competed in the white division.

Last year, Welker raced in the Bowling Green Invitational and the Class 3, District 3 meet at Linn. He made his cross country debut at the Bowling Green meet, finishing 11th with a 19:43 in the junior varsity division. The next week, he placed 70th with a 19:31 at districts.

Welker said even though he hasn’t competed in a lot of meets, he still enjoys cross country.

“It made me feel better knowing that I can do something,” the sophomore said. “I never knew or thought that I would do cross country at all, like running long distances and stuff.”

Welker, who played baseball last spring, is part of a boys team that includes sophomores Jadrian Thurmon, Beckham Cothren, Brendan Craven and freshman Cooper Sellenriek.

“It’s an amazing team,” Welker said. “We’re all going to be good runners.”

Welker and the Wildcats will compete in the Capital City Invitational on Oct. 8 at Binder Park in Jefferson City. They will participate in the Eastern Missouri Conference meet on Oct. 15 and the Bowling Green Invitational on Oct. 21. MCHS begins its postseason on Oct. 29 by running in the Class 3, District 3 meet in Fulton.