It was a busy week for North Rock Creek junior Jordan Coody.
On Tuesday, he ran the 5K at the North Canadian River Conference meet, held at North Rock Creek’s course.
He lead-footed the gas off the starting line and never slacked off. By the first mile, he was running in seclusion and he won the race by more than a minute and a half.
It was a 17:22.99 race, giving him a new personal best, a new school record, a new conference meet record and a new course record in addition to the conference championship.
Four days later he was back at the NRC course for the Heartland Championships on Saturday morning.
He and Ty Bliss of Gore immediately separated themselves from the pack and dueled the entire course.
Gore was the first to the finish line, clocking a 16:36.51 and breaking Coody’s four-day old course record, but Coody ran 16:44.02, taking more than half a minute off his own school record.
“He’s been running great,” said NRC cross country coach Terry Martin. “I think it’s a combination of him maturing and getting stronger and as a young man and he keeps working hard.”
NRC freshman Kaleigh Strange also set a school record on Tuesday, and then broke it on Saturday.
At the conference meet, she ran a 14:45.20 and finished fifth, one of three freshmen to finish in the top five.
Saturday, she was even better, running 14:36.28 and shaving nine seconds off her record and personal best and finishing 13th, one place behind Prague’s Laura Soler.
“I’m really proud of the way she has come along,” Martin said. “I have great expectations for her.
“I’m feeling good about the way most of our kids are working and the direction the program is going.
“Being 4A, it’s going to be tougher this year and harder to get qualified for state,”