Cross Country For The Girls At Rogers Is A True Sisterhood, With The Three Scudders And Two Beshears Leading The Way

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

Photos courtesy Rogers Cross Country

Powell Bryant doesn’t have to use any sport cliches when he describes the familial bond of his team. The Rogers High girls cross country team is the running definition of family – literally. 

“Our teammates, they are like sisters,” Anna Scudder said.

Anna should know best as she, and her sisters Elizabeth (Lizzie) and Kate are sophomore triplets. Add siblings Lilly Beshears (junior) and Hattie Ray Beshears (freshman)  -  and that’s five girls from two families on a young but talented roster that is looking to accomplish big things this year. 

WATCH THE CHILE PEPPER CROSS COUNTRY FESTIVAL ON  RUNNERSPACE (+PLUS required)

This group could potentially become the first girls cross country team from the state of Arkansas to qualify for Nike Cross Nationals. 

“I’m excited to see how far they can go,” Bryant said. “This girls team excites me because they are all young and they are running times that 10 years ago I’m like, ‘What in the world!’” 

The young team – all underclassmen in an interchangeable starting lineup –  (two juniors, four sophomores and a ninth grader) is one of the top teams in Arkansas and the South region, and looking to extend their name nationally.

This weekend at the prestigious Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival on Saturday, Sept. 28 at University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, the Mountaineers will have the opportunity to gauge where they are regionally and nationally. 

“I feel like last year it was our big-eye-opener race,” Lizzie Scudder said of Chile Pepper. “Last year going into it, I didn’t expect it to be hard and this year I'm more mentally prepared.” 

For the Scudder sisters, sports have always served as a way to stay connected. Competitive golfers, the three picked running from their mom, Laura, who is a marathoner. The three experienced success at the middle school level, attending St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School. When it came time for high school, the three headed to Rogers. 

“We knew they were coming, we got word of it, and they did a lot in middle school and we knew they were very, very talented,” Bryant said. 

That transition to the prep level for the Scudder triplets was a little daunting, they all admit, but embracing the unknown together is what they do best.

“It’s always easy to have two other people beside you that you know are nervous too, but you also know they are going to push each other and just have fun together,” Lizzie said. “It’s a lot easier going in with people by your side.”

Bryant, who has been coaching at Rogers since 2015, got to know the sisters in the track program first, and said it didn't take him long to connect with them all individually. 

"You can definitely tell them apart, one is taller, one is shorter and they definitely have their own different personalities,” he said. “(But) the thing about the triplets, they are the most competitive people on the planet. They hate to lose and hate to lose to each other.”

Anna is the kicker of the group, but the three, especially during cross country season, tend to stay close to one another. The three laughed a little when talking about one another.

“Kate is a goofball, Lizzie is really smart,” Anna said. 

Added Kate: “(Anna) she holds me and Lizzie accountable (she's the oldest).” 

With the triplets and the addition of Lilly Beshears, and Kayla Eggers, Rogers said the group immediately clicked with built-in chemistry, work ethic, and matching goals. 

“All those stars aligned, and we were like, ‘Oh my gosh, and they are very, very motivated girls, they love each other, they are best friends, and we kind of knew they could be something very, very special,” Bryant said. 

Last fall the team didn’t waste any time making a name for themselves. As a team, they placed second at the Greg Wilson Classic in Shawnee Mission Park, Kan. and then won the Missouri Southern Stampede - Varsity Green Division in mid-September.

The Mountaineers followed that up by winning the Prairie Grove Tiger Invitational in October as a prep for states with Lilly Beshears out front as the team’s top runner. 

Bryant said the idea and vision of a state championship was there for Rogers but on paper – Bentonville, an older and more experienced team – seemed poised to win. Bryant said the night before states, the coaching staff told the team they’d be satisfied with a runner-up finish. The girls wanted more. 

“The girls were like, ‘No, we’re going to win this thing,’” Bryant said.

Rogers pulled off the victory with capturing the 3-4-5 spots, and Lizzie and Anna’s final 100 meters proved to be pivotal with both of them catching and passing a few Bentonville girls to swing the point total. The team finished with 35 points to claim the 6A state title, with Bentonville second with 40 points. 

The team kept the season going, attending the Nike Regional South meet in The Woodlands Texas, where they ran against the likes of Elizabeth Leachman, and some of the top teams in the country in Flower Mound. They finished sixth and left hungry for more. 

“At NXR last year in Woodlands, you look at the results and you see a bunch of (grades) 9, 9, 9, 9, we got sixth place and good experience,” Bryant said. “It was good for them to see they can compete with some of the best teams at a young level.”

On the heels of a successful track season and summer full of training, a more experienced and even closer team has emerged. Most recently on Saturday, Sept. 14, the team dominated the Lovejoy Fall Festival (McKinney, TX) scoring 51 points with five runners placing in the top 25. Lilly Beshears led the way with a third-place finish (17:21.40) and teammate and fellow junior Samantha Schmersahl was seventh (18:22.30). Second place was The Woodlands (112 points) and defending 5A Texas state champions Lucas Lovejoy, who placed third (135 points). 

This Saturday at Chile Pepper they know what to expect and are ready.

“Last year that moment was probably a little too big for them,” Bryant said. “(At) Lovejoy they killed it, they competed. I think they are ready for it this year. It's a course we love and we’ve been going to forever. It’s a great course, great competition, and a lot of teams from this region will compete.” 

And no matter what happens, Rogers doesn’t have to look far to find support out on the course. 

“Our team is amazing,” Kate said. “We can laugh and have so much fun with each other and compete. It’s such an incredible team and to have teammates that can also be your best friends.”