After another successful race from both the girls’ and boys’ cross country teams on Friday, they have once again qualified for the state meet. With every runner on the team running their best time of the season, they not only qualified, but they exceeded expectations!
Leading everyone was freshman Audrey Pyle, earning first place overall, the regional title, and All-Region honors. Her excellent time of 20:01 helped the girls’ team place second overall, qualifying them for the state meet. Shortly after her was Audrey Rinehart in third, smashing her PR by one minute, with Haley Stimer following in fourth with a season record. Following them was Cieara Barrett, placing 14th, also with a season record. Rinehart, Stimer, and Barrett also received medals for being All-Region Honors. With an impressive time of 22:33 and crushing her PR was Braelynn Thorrez. Mya Barrett and Hannah Ryan both followed her with season records themselves.
Being a regional champion as a freshman is not only impressive but also incredibly rewarding. Pyle shares what this title means to her: “It feels really good. It gives me confidence in what I am capable of achieving.” She went into the race prepared mentally, knowing that confidence is key. She shares that her goal was to win and spent the day thinking through her strategy. In addition to personally succeeding, she credits her team for her growth, saying, “Our team is really close. We share a common goal of doing well as a team, encourage each other, and celebrate each other’s accomplishments. It makes me want to work harder to be better.” Along with her team, Pyle also wants to thank her coaches, specifically her mom, for helping her believe that she could be a regional champion!
Audrey Rinehart also had an incredible race, doing the difficult task of placing third as a freshman at regionals. This spot also gives her the chance to possibly be an All-State runner. She shares, “It feels really exciting, and I am excited for the experience. It is a little nerve-racking because I am so close to qualifying.” Rinehart adds that a lot of her inspiration comes from her older sister, Haylee. She was also a great runner when she was in high school, so she enjoys having the opportunity to try to fill her shoes. Overall, regionals were an exciting meet for Rinhart, and he is excited to see what the state meet holds.
After the girls ran, the boys also competed with incredible times, leading them to a third-place finish. First for Concord was Maddox Hutchinson, placing sixth with a PR time of 17:21, receiving All-Region honors. Paul Herendeen placed tenth and Keaton Smith placed 15th, both earning personal records and All-Region honors. Jase Herendeen placed 30th, Finn Hutchinson placed 35th, and Zane Jason placed 46th, all running PR times. Coming back from an injury was Liam Bauman placed 50th with a season record time of 20:58.
Returning to running after being injured is difficult, but Liam Bauman pushed through to still help his team. He shares how this felt, “It felt good to be back, but it definitely didn’t feel the same. I was just disappointed to see my time as I crossed the line, knowing I should have been better.” Though he was completely satisfied with his time, he is still looking forward to the state meet, hoping it will be better. He shares that he will push himself as hard as he can, hoping to reach his goal. He is also looking forward to running with some of his teammates one last time. He is extremely proud of the team for making it to the state meet, explaining what it means to him: “Making it to state is a reminder that we worked hard throughout the season and that we deserve to be there more than anyone else.” Overall, he is proud of everyone and excited to finish the season off strong.
The cross country team runs at Ella Sharp again today for the Chris Jensen Meet. They have had an amazing season so far and have strong potential to do well. If you get the chance, make the trip to watch them complete it!
