Southeast of Saline's Jentrie Alderson and Dylan Sprecker to remain teammates at Pittsburg State

Jentrie Alderson and Dylan Sprecker have always strived to get better.

The two Southeast of Saline seniors had a mission this past fall to claim individual Class 3A state cross country championships and they did just that.

Both Alderson and Sprecker also intended to run at the collegiate level but still didn't know where after the cross country season ended. Now the pressure is off as they will remain teammates for the next four years at Pittsburg State University.

"It's really awesome," Alderson said. "We have grown up in the running community together. Just being able to continue our running at the next level, it's amazing.

"I think both of us are wanting to go to the place that best improves our talents. I think it's going to be really awesome because we both have very similar mindsets and we just want to work to be the best we can be. These next four years are going to be like the hardest we've ever worked. I'm so excited to see what both of us can do."

Sprecker committed to Pitt State on Dec. 6, and eight days later, Alderson made a similar decision.

"She called me after her commitment and I would've sworn she was going to (Fort) Hays (State)," Sprecker said. "I was a little bit surprised. I'm pretty happy about it. I'll be there with someone that I know and we'll go through that process together as teammates.

"If I need to talk to her about something or ask her a question, she can answer those. Then we can just make friends and fit in with the new group."

More: Nakari Morrical-Palmer makes presence felt for Southeast of Saline boys basketball against Sacred Heart

How both Alderson and Sprecker decided on Pittsburg State

For Alderson, it was Pitt State coach Kyle Rutledge who really stood out when she made her visit. Alderson also had interest from Fort Hays State and the University of Kansas.

"When he brought me out to their cross country course, he just seemed so passionate about it and that's what I really wanted as a coach," Alderson said. "Someone who wanted to make me better and really cared about running.

"For me, D-I wasn't a huge interest because I wanted to excel and I really (didn't) wanted to be comparable to the rest of the girls."

Sprecker said the team atmosphere was something that stood out to him in his decision. He also had interest from Tulsa, Kansas State, Fort Hays State and several Division II schools in Missouri.

More: Southeast of Saline girls basketball successful with everyone contributing

"It felt like a group of guys who when I actually spoke to them, they actually care about what I was saying," Sprecker said. "It felt like a group of legitimate people and they weren't being told by coach, 'Okay, say this to this person. Like don't say this.'

"They've got nice facilities (and) it's still in Kansas. Every visit after that, I just felt like I was comparing those other schools to Pitt State. Some of those schools went higher on other things, but I feel like Pitt State was just on top."

Alderson and Sprecker raced against each other early in their careers before becoming teammates at SE Saline

When Alderson was in middle school at Sacred Heart, she remembered racing against Sprecker because the races were combined. One of her goals was to stay on pace with him.

After middle school, she attended Salina South for her freshman year and then moved out to Southeast, where she could team with Sprecker instead of just competing against him.

"I could never stay with him, but that was always my goal," Alderson said. "Just to find out that I got to go to high school with him and now we're moving on to the next level. It's incredible."

More: Here are Saline County's top performers and athletes of the week for week of Dec. 20

Sprecker said it took a while for them to agree on things when Alderson transferred to Southeast, but over the past few months, both could respect each other's opinions.

"If she has a question on my opinion on something, I'll talk to her about that," Sprecker said. "Now we're all cool and I get to be teammates with her."

Alderson and Sprecker have high expectations heading into track

Now with their college decisions made, Alderson and Sprecker are training for their final track season at Southeast.

Alderson, who swept the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter runs in 3A last spring, has even bigger goals for the upcoming season.

"I've still got lots of work to do," Alderson said. "I'm happy that it's taking its time, but I'm ready to get on to it."

Sprecker, who was a part of Southeast's first-ever state championship track team, won the 800 and 1,600 meters while also running on the 3,200-meter relay that took first and the 1,600-meter relay that finished second.

More: Here are the top performers in high school basketball in Saline County for the week of Dec. 13

"We both know that we're capable of doing a lot," Sprecker said. "If we can go out there this track season and then at the state meet, (we) can bring home a lot of gold medals. That's going to look good for Southeast of Saline and Pitt State."

Dylan Sherwood has been a sports reporter for the Salina Journal since August 2019. He can be reached at dsherwood@salina.com or on Twitter @DSherwoodSJ

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Southeast of Saline state champions to run together at Pittsburg State