CONWAY — As the high school cross-country season heads for its apex, Conway High School boasts two of the top runners in the state.
At press time, Toler Freyaldenhoven, a Wampus Cat senior, had the state’s third-best time for the 5K distance, 15:42.62, which Freyaldenhoven ran at the Minuteman Cross Country Invitational in Little Rock on Sept. 12. His personal best was behind only those of T.J. Sugg of Springdale Har-Ber, 15:22.20, at the Missouri Southern Stampede on Sept. 19, and Emilo Medina of Van Buren, 15:41.85, at the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville on Oct. 3.
Lauren Campbell, a Lady Cat junior, stood ninth among Arkansas girls. Her best (19:15.94) also came at the Minuteman. Elise Reina of Springdale Har-Ber topped the list at 18:36.96 at the Chile Pepper; Alex Ritchey of Mount St. Mary was second at 18:39.36, also at the Chile Pepper.
“Those two are a coach’s dream,” Conway cross-country coach Steven Love said.
Love said Freyaldenhoven puts in about 70 miles per week in training.
“He does so much running on his own,” the coach said. “We meet in the morning for an hour and a half, and he’s taken on so much on his own besides that. So has Lauren. I’ve encouraged them to do that. To be really good at something, you have to put in the extra time.”
Freyaldenhoven, whose previous personal best was 15:57, was a bit disappointed in his time at the Chile Pepper recently — 15:48. Otherwise, he said, his senior season was going according to plan.
“I’ve just been working hard throughout the summer and putting in the practice, even in the offseason,” said Freyaldenhoven, who began his running career as a sixth-grader.
He’s gotten smarter recently about training, he said.
“I’ve kind of found out how my body reacts best to working out,” he said. “I’ve improved my diet — I don’t eat any sugar, that kind of stuff. And I know when to really get a good workout in and when to rest.”
Freyaldenhoven said he sports a 4.18 grade-point average, which ranks him 10th in a class of 650. He hasn’t decided yet where he’d like to continue his education and his running next year.
“It does carry over,” he said of the discipline required for excellence on the cross-country trail, as well as in academics. “When you work to really be good at something, you begin to work in a lot of different places in your life.”
Love agreed.
“Work ethic is a big key, and he has a really good family support unit,” the coach said. “His parents are real supportive of his running, biking, triathlons. I’ve known Toler since he was in ninth grade, and he’s always excelled at running. He’s really pushed himself.”
Love said Campbell had also been a volleyball player before deciding to focus solely on cross country.
“Lauren is just very passionate about running,” he said. “She knows all the high school runners and is friends with a lot of them. They’ve built relationships; they like each other, and they are very supportive of one another.”
Campbell has improved her personal record from 19:51 last season.
“I got a lot more consistent this year with my training, and I started enjoying it a lot more,” she said. “That helped me improve.”
She said she had seen a big leap since consciously upping her weekly mileage from 40 to about 70 a week since the summer.
Love said Campbell, like Freyaldenhoven, is a joy to coach.
“When you send them out on a run, you know they’re going to work hard every day,” Love said. “They are a really good influence on the other runners.”
With the 7A-Central Conference meet set for Cabot on Oct. 26 and the Arkansas Cross Country State Championships scheduled for Hot Springs on Nov. 7, both CHS runners hope to peak at the right time.
Campbell finished third at conference last year and further back at state, plagued by a stress fracture.
“I would really like to win conference, and we’ve got a good shot at the team title, which hasn’t happened in a while,” she said. “I would like to lead my team to a title. At state, I would like to be all-state, which is top 10. Ideally, I want to win.”
Freyaldenhoven finished third at conference and 17th at state last year.
“I’d like to improve my PR and do well in the state meet,” he said.
Love, for one, thinks those goals are attainable — and maybe low.
“He will be a favorite at conference and state,” Love said. “He’s sitting really good as far as being in contention for a state title. A lot can happen between now and then. We hope we stay healthy and get a good break here and there.
“Good things happen if you work hard.”
So how low can Freyaldenhoven go?
“I don’t really know,” he said. “I’d like to find out.”