Lencki named All-American after placing second at state

Good things come to those who wait.

That was the case for Waupaca High School cross-country runner Owen Lencki. Not only did he set a pair of school records during the season, the senior also turned in a time of 15:51.6 to place second in the boys’ Division 2 race Nov. 2 at the WIAA State Cross Country Championships in Wisconsin Rapids.

Lencki’s time during his first trip to state was also good enough for him to receive All-American honors from the National Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Waupaca cross country coach Jessica Bank presented Lencki with a medal and certificate on Nov. 19 during halftime of a girls’ basketball game at the school. She also singled out another Waupaca runner, senior Sienna Timm, who joined Lencki at the state meet and placed 42nd in the girls’ Division 2 race with a time of 20:18.6.

Lencki knew he might be in for a special season in August after he set a school record on Sept. 5 at the Marathon Invitational, the Comets’ second meet.

“It was a lot of training in the summer and a lot of consistency with everything that I did: sleep, nutrition, weight training,” he said. “I was working hard to be ready for the state meet.

“I always set goals really high,” he said. “My goal going into (the state meet) was to win. When I broke that record, I kind of realized that I could be a contender.”

Lencki made it through the season without major injuries and qualified for state by winning a sectional race at Waupaca High School.

“It was awesome, especially being at home with so many people who came to cheer,” he said. “Winning that was a good statement and beating a good opponent that I would face again at state (Pacelli’s Luke Eiden).” Eiden placed second at the sectional meet and 13th at state.

The sectional race gave Lencki all the confidence he needed for the state meet.
“(Eiden) was ranked No. 1 in the state,” he said. “It gave me the confidence to realize that I could win state.”

Lencki went on to place five seconds behind Whitewater’s Jack Hefty and came into the race with a plan.

“The plan was to sit in the back of the front pack for the first part and make sure I don’t go out to face,” he said. “As the race progressed, I tried to be in that front pack coming up the final hill. Before the hill, I was in fourth place and I passed a couple guys coming up the hill.”

Lencki isn’t disappointed in his runner-up finish in his final opportunity to compete for a state title.

“It’s bittersweet,” he said. “I think I made my move a little too late and I was unaware of how far in front of me the guy got. Trying to make a move on the next guy was pretty tough. I really wasn’t just planning on making it to state. I wanted to make a statement. I never doubted myself making it to state. I wanted to win. That was the ultimate goal.”

Although Lencki won’t be around to compete in cross country, he hopes to make it to state next spring as a distance runner for Waupaca’s boys’ track team. He plans to compete in the 800-, 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs.
“The goal is to get my state title,” he said.