By James Thoelke
The cross-country girls warming up before a meet. What a season! With twelve returning runners and six rookies, it’s been quite a journey for the cross-country team. The official start of the season was the first day of school, Aug. 14. Though for some runners, the season began long before that, when the last bit of snow had melted away in late spring. The entire Audubon cross-country team practices on the fairways of the Audubon Golf Course at 6:15 in the morning. By the last practice, the sun wouldn’t rise until after 7 a.m., and the temperature resembled that of a walk-in cooler.
The girls team captain, senior Megan Deist, said, “The girls always placed in the top 8 each meet, with the newcomers Kiara Brannan-Sporrer and Carmen Malloy rocking it!” Deist placed in the top 10 at districts, and she returned from State on Nov. 2 with a 25th place finish out of 127 runners.
The boy’s team captain, senior Sean Card, after a strong season, sustained an injury during P.E. class and was unable to participate in the district meet. Acting captain Mitchell Nelsen placed 16 at districts.
Some on the team members weren’t the fastest on the course, but they didn’t give up and always finished strong. Though cross-country is a very individualized sport, everyone is part of the team. Carpooling to practices, sharing money and snacks at meets, and cheering each other on during that final 100 meters to the finish line, they became tight knit over the months of early morning practices and after school meets. The last meet of the year, at Treynor, was completed with tears of sadness as the seniors shared their last cross-country event with the underclassman.
The girls team captain, senior Megan Deist, said, “The girls always placed in the top 8 each meet, with the newcomers Kiara Brannan-Sporrer and Carmen Malloy rocking it!” Deist placed in the top 10 at districts, and she returned from State on Nov. 2 with a 25th place finish out of 127 runners.
The boy’s team captain, senior Sean Card, after a strong season, sustained an injury during P.E. class and was unable to participate in the district meet. Acting captain Mitchell Nelsen placed 16 at districts.
Some on the team members weren’t the fastest on the course, but they didn’t give up and always finished strong. Though cross-country is a very individualized sport, everyone is part of the team. Carpooling to practices, sharing money and snacks at meets, and cheering each other on during that final 100 meters to the finish line, they became tight knit over the months of early morning practices and after school meets. The last meet of the year, at Treynor, was completed with tears of sadness as the seniors shared their last cross-country event with the underclassman.
Photo by Ashley Miller
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