NIXA — When Courtney Frerichs ran in the Nixa Invitational cross country meet as a high schooler, she had a breakout performance that showed her what she was capable of.
Frerichs beat her personal record by about a minute-and-a-half and finished in front of an all-state performer from the year before. Nixa started to believe it could make the state meet as a team.
"I think that was the first time that I thought maybe I had a future in the sport," Frerichs said Thursday.
This week, Frerichs returned to the meet that holds a special place in her heart.