Webb City athlete Noah Lankard spoke to Prep Sports about his team saying “my favorite part of being on the XC team is being apart of something bigger. Our coach has preached that it’s about the team, not yourself, Hurt for the team. Knowing that all of the guys have worked just as hard to get here. You can’t afford to let them down”.

As for Lankard he is working this season to “get to all district, all conference, and overall run more consistently. I also want to enjoy the time with my teammates as this is the last season with the seniors”. Lankard said that “The entire team is a family. The upperclassmen have become some of my closest friends in just 2 years, while I’ve spent most of my life with the underclassmen. All of them have made a positive impact on my life and shape the way I am as a person”.

Over the past year Lankard has had “the most fun at SWMO Running Camp. The atmosphere and the dedication by the team was amazing. The friendly competitions and chapel made the experience worthwhile”. Although his favorite athletic memory over all is “track state. All the track athletes confined to a small bus is hectic. The winning atmosphere that Coach Miller and Butler create is why we compete. My past experiences in track were negative but that was because we were never a team. Our high school track program is a team”.

When asked about other areas of his participation, Lankard said “The clubs/programs I’m currently in are XC and track. In 4th grade I ran the mile with a final time of 6:32. Since then I did mileage club and participated in junior high XC and track. I decided I liked the challenge of running and hanging out with your friends for a couple hours. I’m involved with the A+ program, and I’m working on completing my honors diploma”.