For Bishop Carroll Catholic High School distance runner Landon Englert, this track and field season has centered on one goal — proving he belongs among the state’s elite long-distance runners.
Englert entered the spring with lofty expectations after a breakout junior campaign that included all-state finishes and conference honors. Now, the senior has his sights set even higher as he chases state medals, personal records and a school record that has stood for nearly four decades.
“My primary focus on this track season is becoming one of the fastest runners in the state of Kansas for the 1600 and 3200,” Englert said. “Some things I wanted to accomplish are placing top 8 at state in the 1600 and placing top 5 in the 3200 at state.”
One of his biggest goals is rewriting the school record book in the 3200-meter run. The current Bishop Carroll record of 9 minutes, 16 seconds was set in 1987.
“I also want to break Bishop Carroll’s school record in the 3200,” Englert said.
Englert already has built an impressive resume. Last season, he posted personal-best times of 9:34 in the 3200, 4:30 in the 1600 and 2:04 in the 800. He earned all-city honors in the Greater Wichita Athletic League in the 3200 and 4×800 relay, won regional titles in both events and finished all-state in the 3200 and 4×800 relay.
His momentum continued into cross-country season, where he earned all-metro first-team honors and recorded a personal-best time of 15:41.
This spring, Englert has continued lowering his times with personal records of 4:23 in the 1600 and 2:02 in the 800.
A major reason for his success has been his ability to thrive in distance races and remain composed in competitive situations.
“I would consider one of my strengths being able to handle the longer distances well,” Englert said. “Typically the longer the race, the better I am. Another strength would be that I consider myself a good racer. I am able to respond to moves in races pretty well.”
Englert said those strengths also help his teammates during races.
“I utilize these strengths for my team by helping teammates out in races, whether that is taking the lead for a teammate or making a surge in the middle of a race,” he said.
During the offseason, Englert focused heavily on improving the finishing aspects of his races and becoming more comfortable running at the front of the pack.
“Some things I wanted to work on this season were learning how to race in the front of a race and my explosiveness and foot speed for the end of my races,” Englert said.
