Frankfurt International’s Seth Leishman approaches the finish line at the 2024 DODEA European Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. Leishman won the boys’ race in 16:59.49 to win his first individual title in his fourth year running at the Rolling Hills Golf Course in Baumholder, Germany. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

BAUMHOLDER, Germany – A freshman new to the sport of long-distance running and a senior who’s been chasing a title for four years took home the individual titles Saturday at the DODEA-Europe Cross Country Championships.

Stuttgart’s Anna Konon capped her first season with a win in the girls’ race, covering 3.1 miles on the Rolling Hills Golf Course in 20 minutes, 15.40 seconds. For the boys, Seth Leishman of Frankfurt International crossed the finish line first in a time of 16:59.49.

“I’ve been at Euros every year of high school,” Leishman said after the race. “This is my first win. It feels amazing.”

Konon paved the way for a dominant Panthers’ team win, their third straight European Division I team title. Stuttgart put all five of its scoring runners in the top 10: Sophie Templeton was third, Regan Stewart fourth, Lydia Pound sixth, and Kendall Cancel seventh.

Only Ramstein’s Rose Thompson and Iliana Echard broke up the Panther pack, finishing second and fifth, respectively, and helping the Royals take second in the girls’ D-I team standings.

In the boys’ D-I team contest, Stuttgart and Ramstein were deadlocked at 36 points apiece. Each team’s sixth runner had to be scored for the tiebreaker, giving the Panthers the edge and the title they lost to Wiesbaden last year. Stuttgart’s sixth runner, Preston Cook, was 11 spots ahead of the Royals’ No. 6 runner.

In Division II, Vicenza took the boys’ title, while the Rota girls were victorious. Brussels, meanwhile, swept the Division III team races.

Stuttgart freshman Anna Konon runs towards the finish chute ahead of the field at the DODEA-Europe Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. Konon covered the 3.1-mile course at the Rolling Hills Golf Course in Baumholder, Germany, in 20:15.15. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein’s Illiana Echard took the early lead in the girls’ race at the 2024 DODEA European Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Baumholder, Germany. She eventually finished fifth, helping the Royals to a runner-up Division I team finish behind Stuttgart. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

Runners take off seconds after the start gun at the 2024 DODEA European Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. A heavy fog blanketed the 3.1-mile course at the Rolling Hills Golf Course in Baumholder, Germany. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein’s Rose Thompson heads towards the finish line in second place at the DODEA-Europe Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Baumholder, Germany. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

Stuttgart’s Anna Konon hugs teammate Regan Stewart after they both finished racing on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, at the DODEA-Europe Cross Country Championship in Baumholder, Germany. The Panthers won their third consecutive Division I team title after placing five runners in the top 10. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

Hohenfels cross country coach Todd Cobb supports Jalissa Jobity after the girls’ race at the DODEA-Europe Cross Country Championship on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Baumholder, Germany. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

Runners take off at the Rolling Hills Golf Course in Baumholder, Germany, at the start of the boys’ race at the DODEA-Europe Cross Country Championship on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

AFNORTH junior Logan Conrad beat Stuttgart’s Jackson Balfrey-Boyd by a whisker at the finish for second, 17:14.05 to 17:14.30, at the DODEA-Europe Cross Country Championship on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, Baumholder, Germany. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

Vicenza’s Mitchell Horrigan took the early lead in the boys’ race at the DODEA-Europe Cross Country Championship on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. Horrigan ended up fourth in the race, which was won by Frankfurt International’s Seth Leishman. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

Runners head up a hill during the DODEA-Europe Cross Country Championship on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. The 3.1-mile course at the Rolling Hills Golf Course in Baumholder, Germany, is one of the more challenging courses in DODE Europe because of its hills and often-slippery terrain. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

Race-day weather was typical for Baumholder this time of year: damp and cold with a thick fog blanketing the course.

“My friend was saying it’s kind of like a Halloween course – it’s spooky,” Konon said.

But the weather was perfect for racing, she said – not too cold, not too hot – with no rain or wind.

Konon’s race strategy was simple: “Stick with whoever’s in front, just stay there and then I would hope they would fall back, and I would pull ahead,” she said. “It worked.”

Konon finished 12 seconds ahead of Ramstein’s Thompson.

“I was really surprised,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting a win today.”

For Thompson, just being able to race was reward enough after being sick the last couple of weeks.

“I think I was kind of praying throughout: ‘Thank you for me being able to run at all,’” she said. “I think that really made the race a lot more enjoyable, with just being at peace with whatever I get.”

Thompson’s time of 20:28.11 was more than two minutes faster than her freshman time at the same race a year ago, where she placed 20th.

“I think mentally I felt really good,” she said. “Physically, if you’re not dying every second of the race, you’re not running hard enough sometimes.”

Also shaving off nearly two minutes from his time last year was AFNORTH junior Logan Conrad. Conrad beat Stuttgart’s Jackson Balfrey-Boyd by a whisker at the finish for second, 17:14.05 to 17:14.30. For Conrad, the time was a personal best, an impressive feat on the hills of Baumholder.

“Last year I finished not even in the top 20,” he said. “I’m super happy.”

Frankfurt’s Leishman didn’t run a PR but dug deep nevertheless, he said, on what he described as the toughest course his school competes.

“It felt painful but amazing,” he said. “There was some really tough competition this year. I was trying to just stick behind the top group for the entire first lap. Right around 3K, I made my move …and kind of got that separation and I just pushed it.”