Cross country team rewarded for their hard work

“I think this was the team’s best performance of the whole season,” said Mrs. Melissa Joest, a cross country coach. “We were super pleased with all the girls. We had 5 out of 7 PR (Personal Record) at sectionals, and two of them basically tied their PR. On the guys’ side they were second place to Harrison, 1 point out of first, but Harrison has a pretty strong team so we were pleased with how they competed.”

Joest is very proud of her team’s performance, insisting that there is nothing she would want to change for next season. She is especially proud of the girls that performed so well. 

“Ellie Haq (12) broke 20 minutes, which is really a big deal for girls to be able to break that barrier, and she wasn’t just under it she smashed it by several seconds. Abby Serra (11), who was our 7th that day, she broke 21 minutes which is another barrier that’s hard to get around. So that was really thrilling. Then Haley Mansfield (11), she just passed Caroline Jordan (12). Alli Steffey (10) and Caroline will flip flop for 1st and 2nd runner and then Haley’s usually third, but she snuck up there into second place,” said Joest.

It isn’t just the girls that Mrs. Joest is proud of; the boys placed second behind Harrison High School at sectionals.

“We have to get Gavin Redman (12) and Sam Hyde (12) moved up just a little bit because they’re in the thick of where there’s a lot of runners, but Tyler Milam (12) and Alec Meister (12) and Elijah Stenberg (9) have really been leading the team well,” said Joest.

The team ran their best this season and were rewarded for their hard work. The girls placed first and the boys placed second at sectionals. Joest praises the team for their hard work, admitting that she doesn’t have to push anyone very hard to get them working.

“Really from the start of the season there’s just been a lot of hard work so I think that’s part of why we as coaching staff don’t feel like we need to set goals for them. It’s really been a pleasant season because they’ve been so willing to work hard and they generally performed pretty well,” said Joest.

Taking the Lead: The cross country team worked hard at sectionals, girls placing first and boys second. Mrs. Joest has nothing but praise for the runners this season.
“They’ve really performed well based on their own goals and I think that’s helped them to feel like they can perform better without extra stress.”