Kaiserslautern junior Jacob Porter pulls away from Royal Frank Lozano in the woods during a Sept. 30, 2023, meet at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Porter set a new personal record with a winning run of 16:41. Lozano took second place in a time of 17:17. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany – Prior to high school, Jacob Porter swam long distances, competing in the mile and 800-meter freestyle events.

When he stepped into Kaiserslautern High School, though, the junior traded in the pool for the woods, joining the cross country team. Porter found running long distances to be easier than swimming, although he enjoys the exertion just the same.

“I just love moving,” Porter said. “I’ve been either running or swimming or biking, being outside my entire life. Mentally, it’s very similar; it’s just physically (different).”

Midway through his junior campaign, he seems to have found his land legs. Porter won Saturday’s race at Ramstein High School with a time of 16 minutes, 41 seconds, 36 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Frank Lozano of Ramstein.

Porter set a new personal record, beating his previous mark of 17:05.49 set during a meet at Lakenheath on Sept. 23. His time also places him as the third-fastest runner in DODEA Europe, according to results received heading into this weekend.

“He has a really good cardio exchange, and he’s figuring out running more and more,” Kaiserslautern coach Amy Mathews-Soto said. “Every year we’re seeing improvement, improvement. I don’t think there’s a limit to what he (can do).”

On Saturday, it took some time before Porter pulled away, catching up to Lozano heading into the woods in the third kilometer. He passed the Royal by the top of a small incline and continued his move.

“Mentally, I was just saying, ‘Keep going, just keep pushing and attack,’” Porter said. “I knew that there’s a hill coming up and if I was not with hm or ahead, then I was not going to be able to overtake him on that hill and afterward.”

In the last kilometer, it became a race against the clock. Porter wanted to break the 17-minute barrier on Saturday, and a speed workout earlier in the week in which he ran 800-meter segments paced for a 5-kilometer race showed him what he needed to do.

Porter picked up the speed over the last kilometer and smashed that goal.

“I was out there at the 4K (mark) and told him what the time was, and he made a big change because he knew it was going to be close,” Mathews-Soto said. “We were shocked when we saw how under 17 he was.”

Mathews-Soto said Porter, who hopes to place in the top three at the European championships on Oct. 21 at Baumholder, probably will set his sights on the school record of 16:19.

Royal freshman Idaly Lozano approaches the finish line on the track at Ramstein High School on Sept. 30, 2023, on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Lozano won the race with a time of 20:44. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

SHAPE's Zuzanna Hebda runs along a fence during a Sept. 30, 2023, meet at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Geramny. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Kaiserslautern runner Samantha Ramsey leads a pair of teammates, including Alexandra Beck, right, during a meet at Ramstein High School on Sept. 30, 2023, on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

For the girls, a freshman sensation showed herself to be one of the best in Europe with her performance on Saturday.

Ramstein’s Idaly Lozano went under 21 minutes for the second time this season, going 20:44 on her home course en route to a win. Lozano is competing in cross country for the second year, after running 2-mile races in Texas her eighth-grade year.

Royal coach Reagan Etherton pointed out her growth over the course of the season, saying she’s gone from being nervous about the increased distance to having a game plan for every race.

“She’s definitely very quiet, even a little shy, but when it comes to something she’s good at, she’s confident in it, which is very important as a runner,” Etherton said.

On Saturday, she showcased that confidence with her race plan. Lozano said she wanted to see how her competitors were feeling early in the race before deciding to go on her own.

That moment came early on, as she left behind teammate Illiana Echard and Kaiserslautern’s Samantha Ramsey before they entered the woods.

It finished with Lozano beating Echard by 21 seconds and Ramsey by 27.

“My plan was to try to stay with the front girls and if I felt a little too comfortable, then go my pace,” Lozano said. “I felt comfortable, so I just left and ran my own race.”

The Royals weren’t anticipating that to be the case for Saturday’s race.

SHAPE made the trip to Germany but did so without its top runner Rhianna Bender. The Spartan runner posted the second-fastest time in Europe behind Lakenheath sophomore Abra Mills (18:56).

Bender’s 20:24, clocked the same week as Lozano’s best time of 20:37, led Etherton to be curious to see how they would stack up against each other in the same race before the European championships.

“It was unfortunate that the SHAPE runners couldn’t make it today,” Etherton said. “I’d like to see them duke it out, get in each other’s heads a little bit and make it an interesting race. I think (Lozano) is ready for that, and I think (Bender) is as well.”

Runners jump out to a quick start during the boys race on Sept. 30, 2023, at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Baumholder's Kipuha Fejeran, left, runs alongside Kaiserslautern's Maxwell Worley during a Sept. 30, 2023, meet at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)