Bauer Readies For State XC Meet

SEBRING - Going up against the best cross-country runners in the state can be a daunting task.
For Sebring sophomore Connor Bauer, it's just another step in his continuing development into an elite runner.

"Connor is a gamer," said Blue Streak coach Jeff Shoemaker. "He's quiet, but he's a very competitive person, and to be as good as he is, you have to be aggressive."

Bauer qualified ninth in last week's Class 2A-Region 3 meet in Estero with a time of 17 minutes, 13 seconds, good enough to qualify for today's state finals at Little Everglades Ranch in Dade City.

Today's event features 24 teams and more than 175 runners, which will be the largest field Bauer has competed against.

"Connor has never competed in this big of a meet and he'll probably be a little apprehensive," Shoemaker said. "But we're going over early to preview the course and get settled. And this course, which is fairly flat, favors his style of running."

Only the top 10 individuals receive medals and Bauer has his work cut out for him going up against the top runners in the state.

"Connor is a consistent runner and has lowered his times during the course of the season," Shoemaker said. "He'll have to have his best time of the season to finish high because all the runners in this meet are solid.

"He's only a sophomore and is under no pressure, so if he gets off to a good start and runs his race he could surprise some people."